No. 21 NC State gymnastics takes second but falls to No. 13 UNC-Chapel Hill in 2026 Metroplex Challenge

Veronica Rock, Correspondent • Feb 18, 2026

The NC State Gymnastics team cheers on junior Elle Hadrick during her floor routine during the meet against UNC at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2025. Hadrick scored a 9.850 on her floor routine. The Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels 197.125-196.525.

Meeting with No. 13 UNC-Chapel Hill, No. 17 Auburn and Boise State for the 2026 Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, NC State gymnastics placed second in its first quad meet of the season.

The Pack (6-3, 4-1 ACC) came into this meet fresh off its seven-game win streak over UNC (6-5, 1-4 ACC) on Feb. 13 and was rematching Auburn after losing in the first meet of the season. Out in Texas, NC State’s win streak against UNC ended as it placed second behind the Heels. But the Pack claimed wins over the Tigers (2-7, 0-5 SEC) and Broncos (5-9, 1-3 MWC), as Auburn ended in third and Boise State finished last.

The Pack started on bars, just like the previous meet. Junior Elle Hadrick stood out in this rotation, scoring a 9.925 to lead NC State gymnasts on the uneven bars. With a score of 49.125, NC State was in second place behind Auburn after the first events.

For the second rotation, NC State moved to the beam, and the high scores continued. The reigning ACC Gymnast of the Week, sophomore Syniya Thomas, sat atop the Wolfpack leaderboard, earning a 9.900. Freshman Addysn Tackett was right behind with a 9.875. While not quite as high as the UNC meet’s season record, the Pack still notched a respectable total of 49.175 on the beam.

With that, the Pack ended the first half of the meet in the lead, pulling ahead of Auburn, who sat close behind in second. UNC was in third and Boise State was in a distant last place.

To begin the second half, NC State looked to the floor exercise. Thomas had the highest Wolfpack score for this rotation as well, with a 9.875. Hadrick was close behind as she earned a 9.850. Going into the final rotation, NC State found itself tied with Auburn as UNC took the lead after posting a 49.000.

In crunch time, the Pack did not rise to the occasion. With a 9.850 on vault, junior Lauren Wright was easily the highest scorer for NC State. The final rotation was not quite as strong as the others, as it was the only one with a total team score under 49.000. That lower score cost the Pack as it could not catch up to UNC, finishing second behind them and in front of Auburn and Boise State, with the final scores being UNC – 196.375, NC State – 196.100 , Auburn – 196.075 and Boise State – 194.825.

Back in action in Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 21, NC State takes on No. 10 Stanford at 4 p.m.