Clemson’s first season went about as well as the Tigers could’ve hoped. A regionals play-in berth, a second-place finish at the ACC championship, and hard-fought battles against conference rivals in duals throughout the year put the Tigers in the national conversation. With only one routine out the door and two rated recruits joining the squad, Clemson is in a great position to build on this foundation.
2024 Rewind
No. 35 overall | No. 2 at ACCs | No. 30 in regular season | Regional play-in
The Tigers started with a bang. This is a team that will want to be a Sweet Sixteen regular in the future, but getting its feet under it with a regional play-in and having success in the regular season is the perfect place from which to build.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Sixth Years Rebecca Wells Seniors Eve Jackson Lauren Rutherford Juniors Molly Arnold Trinity Brown Brie Clark Kielyn McCright Madison Minner Sophomores Takoda Berry Kate Bryant Sierra Church Maggie Holman Quinn Kuhl Lily Kurrack Grace Lacrosse Lilly Lippeatt Trinity Webb | Freshmen Hannah Clark Danika Nielsen Transfers Tara Walsh (Michigan State) |
| Out | |
| Graduated Kaitlin DeGuzman (UB) |
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 26 | NQS: 49.100 | Average: 49.102
| Event Overview: Vault was a strong event, especially in the latter half of the season. This is where transfer Walsh can make a difference. It should hold steady in the coming year. | ||
| Locks: Molly Arnold, Trinity Brown, Lauren Rutherford, Rebecca Wells | ||
| Contenders: Madison Minner, Danika Nielsen, Tara Walsh | ||
| Wildcards: Kate Bryant, Maggie Holman, Eve Jackson |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 24 | NQS: 49.255 | Average: 49.139
| Event Overview: Bars suffered from some inconsistency, especially late in the season. The lineup remained largely the same week to week, so the issue came down to individual misses. Kaitlin DeGuzman was the top bar worker, so her absence will be felt. | ||
| Locks: Eve Jackson, Trinity Webb, Lilly Lippeat | ||
| Contenders: Trinity Brown, Hannah Clark, Danika Nielsen, Rebecca Wells, | ||
| Wildcards: Lauren Rutherford |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 32 | NQS: 49.175 | Average: 48.875
| Event Overview: Beam was a very highs-and-lows event last year, with occasional cascading mistakes. It was the only event that was below a 49 as often as it was above it yet has the biggest potential for growth. This is Clark’s premier event, so her presence should help stabilize things. | ||
| Locks: Hannah Clark, Lilly Lippeatt, Rebecca Wells | ||
| Contenders: Sierra Church, Danika Nielsen | ||
| Wildcards: Kielyn McCright, Brie Clark, Maggie Holman, Eve Jackson, Quinn Kuhl |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No.16 | NQS: 49.470 | Average: 49.393
| Event Overview: Floor was the Tigers’ highlight piece in 2024. With a lot of talent on the event, head coach Amy Smith was able to try out a lot of her roster to find her key six routines. Clark, Rutherford, Arnold, and Wells all put up 9.950s at one point in the season. | ||
| Locks: Molly Arnold, Brie Clark, Lauren Rutherford, Rebecca Wells, | ||
| Contenders: Lilly Lippeatt, Madison Minner, Danika Nielsen | ||
| Wildcards: Trinity Brown, Hannah Clark, Eve Jackson, Maggie Holman |
Records Watch
Team: 197.600 | AA: 39.550 | VT: 49.450/9.975 | UB: 49.400/9.925 | BB: 49.450/9.950 | FX: 49.600/9.950
It’s very possible that we’ll see every Team One record fall, just because this group has one year under its belt and the freshmen are strong. Bars is the event where that’s least likely, with DeGuzman’s graduation while the team total is reachable but a big ask.
The Big Picture
Year two has all the signs of being a strong one for Clemson. This team has the talent to skip the play-in in 2025. The freshmen are strong additions and will make an impact, but improvement will need to come from increased consistency as well.
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Article by Emily Minehart
