On June 17, 2021, Clemson announced it was adding a gymnastics team that would start competing during the 2024 season. At the time, that date seemed far away, but since then, the program has found its coach, its team, and its expectations. Less than three years since that June day, the Tigers have made it to the postseason in the first year of competition
And that is just the beginning.
It took Clemson about a year to hire its head coach, Amy Smith, but once she was in her new role, the program was ready to build toward making a competitive debut. Smith wanted to start the first season strong, and to do that, she leveraged the transfer portal and strong recruiting to bring in a blend of experience levels. Gymnasts wanted to be a part of that strong culture, which is what drew Lilly Lippeatt to Clemson.
“I wanted a culture that was going to be a really strong and good foundation in terms of the person that I would be versus just the score that I would get,” she said.
But the culture wasn’t built overnight. It start with “Team Zero,” the name given to the gymnasts who arrived on campus a year in advance of the Tigers’ inaugural season. Culturally, being together without competition allowed the team to grow the internal leadership and build…
