Gymnastics has made history once again : Clemson Gymnast Lands First Biles Skill In NCAA Gymnastics History
In its second year as an accredited division I gymnastics program, Clemson Women’s Gymnastics has made history once again. Redshirt junior Brie Clark has been a standout for the budding ACC program. Tonight, she etched her name in the NCAA record books.
Clark successfully competed The Biles I tumbling pass, helping the Tigers secure a dominant win over Texas Women’s University and the University of New Hampshire. A highly-difficult element named after its originator – seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles – The Biles is seldom competed at international meets.
In the routine seen here, Clark had no shortage of power in the tumbling pass, landing the first of its kind in women’s NCAA competition.
With her successful Biles I, Clark also becomes only the fifth woman to compete the skill successfully. Clark joins an elite club, headlined by Biles, Trinity Thomas (USA), Hillary Heron (PAN), and London Phillips (USA).
While many NCAA gymnasts compete the difficult yet popular double-layout, The Biles adds a uniquely difficult twist to the skill – quite literally. Officially recognized as a “double layout with a half twist,” The Biles requires an athlete to complete two full laid-out flips while finishing the second with a 180-degree rotation. The result? A supremely difficult blind landing. However, Clark made it look easy.
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Though the junior finished eighth on floor Friday due to a landing error, the all-ACC gymnast has been a leading contributor for the Clemson Tigers in the program’s infancy. In 2024, Clark received the first 10.0 in Clemson history (from one judge) in her win at Air Force
Prior to tonight’s competition, Clark had scored 9.90 or better on her previous five floor routines. Before transferring to join Clemson’s inaugural gymnastics program, Clark was also a star at Utah State University. In her freshman season, Clark was one of just four freshmen to be named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American on floor, with a school-record National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.940.
In her first year as a senior international elite gymnast, the then-rookie Biles shocked the world, nailing the pass at the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The rest is history – Biles would go on to compete four more eponymous skills. She would also win the all-around and floor exercise in Antwerp.
For Clark and Clemson gymnastics, the ACC Championships loom just weeks away on March 22. After a stellar competitive debut in 2024, the No. 30 Tigers look to challenge top contenders No. 5 California and No. 14 Stanford for the coveted conference title.
