Lily Smith isn’t just flipping through her junior season-she’s soaring.
The Georgia gymnast came into the 2026 campaign with a national No. 10 ranking on balance beam, and she’s already showing why. In the GymDogs’ season opener at No.
21 Ohio State, Smith delivered a 9.925 on beam-poised, polished, and every bit the veteran presence Georgia needs. A week later, in the home opener against powerhouse LSU, she posted a 9.725.
Not her personal best, but still a solid contribution against the No. 2 team in the country.
Smith’s ceiling is sky-high-literally and figuratively. Her career high on beam is a 9.950, which she hit at the 2025 NCAA Regionals.
And if that wasn’t enough, she’s also one of just four gymnasts in Georgia program history to score a perfect 10 during their freshman season. Hers came on the uneven bars, a moment that stamped her arrival as a five-star recruit with next-level potential.
But Smith’s most jaw-dropping performance to date didn’t come in an arena. It came 52 stories above Manhattan, on a balance beam perched atop the Solow Building, overlooking Central Park.
The twist? The beam was raised to nine-and-a-half feet-twice the standard height-and the entire routine was filmed as part of a Red Bull project.
“That was such a cool experience,” Smith said, still buzzing from the moment. “Not many people can say they did that. Who would've thought, being up there, but it was super cool and unique, and I couldn't have done it without my coaches and the whole Red Bull team.”
Smith, a Red Bull athlete, admitted she used to be afraid of heights. Not anymore.
“Not after doing that,” she said with a laugh.
Before the big rooftop performance, she had a chance to get a feel for the dizzying height during an indoor practice run-still 52 stories up, just with a little more cover from the elements.
Georgia co-coach Ryan Roberts couldn’t hide his pride.
“You’re on top of a skyscraper, and it’s a big deal to be in a partnership with Red Bull,” he said. “Her artistry is unmatched, so it’s not surprising she gets those opportunities.
Her work ethic is great. She’s so deserving of that kind of experience.
It’s pretty crazy-slightly different.”
As you’d expect, her teammates were full of questions.
“All the girls were coming up to me like, ‘How did you do that?’” Smith said.
“I’m like, guys, when you're on the beam, you just cancel everything else out. I was nervous, honestly, because of the height, and the wind was so cold and made it a little bit shaky, but besides that, it was fine.”
Smith, who joked that she’s “always cold,” came prepared.
“I had a heated robe and everything,” she said with a grin. Sitting next to her, junior teammate Holly Snyder nodded in agreement, laughing along.
The good vibes didn’t stop there. Georgia followed up the rooftop routine with a huge win over LSU, moving to 2-0 on the season. Next up: a trip to Norman to face Oklahoma (2-0-1) in a Friday night showdown on Jan. 23, airing on SEC Network via ESPN.
For Smith and the GymDogs, the beam may be only four inches wide-but the spotlight is getting a whole lot bigger.