North Carolina gymnastics added three more names to its future roster Wednesday morning, with head coach Danna Durante announcing the signing of Payton Chandler, Brielle Rousseau and Madison Taips from the class of 2027.
Chandler, a Dallas native who trained with the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, brings a strong all-around résumé to Chapel Hill. College Gym News lists her as a four-star recruit, and she is expected to arrive in January with a chance to contribute right away.
Chandler competed as a Level 10 in both of her trips to Nationals, finished seventh on beam at the 2022 U.S. Championships and placed eighth in the all-around at U.S.
Classics that same year. Reflecting on her decision, she said, "The team and coaches felt like family from the moment we met, and I knew Carolina was where I belonged.
I'm so proud to be a Tar Heel and to represent a school I love, both in and out of the gym."
Rousseau comes to UNC from Brecksville, Ohio, after competing at Gymnastics World of Ohio. Another all-around gymnast, she qualified for the National Championships and earned two Eastern National qualifiers.
Her best national result came in 2025, when she finished ninth on bars. She also claimed the State Championship on bars in 2022.
Rousseau said Carolina stood out immediately to her: "UNC truly felt like home because from the moment I met the coaches and stepped on campus, I was surrounded by positive energy, endless support, and a strong team culture. Seeing the way the team takes pride in wearing Carolina blue made me realize this was the place I could see myself growing as a student, an athlete, and a person,"
Taips, from Venice, Florida, completes the trio. She has competed with Evo Gymnastics and has been a National Qualifier four times during her career.
College Gym News rates her as a three-star recruit. Taips said the campus and the program made a quick impression on her: "As soon as I stepped on campus it felt like home.
I love how supportive and positive the team is and how it feels like a family. I am so excited to be a Tar Heel."
Durante said the three signees fit exactly what North Carolina wants in its program. "We are beyond excited to welcome Payton, Brielle, and Madison to our Carolina Family and the Class of 2027!
These three incredible athletes embody everything it means to be a Carolina student-athlete. Their outstanding work ethic, exceptional character, and tremendous athletic talent will make an immediate impact across every event.
We are so proud to have them joining our program and cannot wait to see all they accomplish as Tar Heels," added Durante.
In Other News...
UNCs Quarterback Future Suddenly Matters More Than Its Final Three Games
As North Carolina gets ready for a bowl-deciding stretch, the quarterback room has become just as important as the scoreboard. Billy Edwards Jr. is still the starter, but the Tar Heels are also looking at the bigger picture, with coaches weighing how much run to give backups Miles O'Neil and Travis Burgess over the final games.
The point is less about making a dramatic switch than about learning what the program has behind Edwards and how the position might look beyond this season. Those snaps could help shape future competition and development, which makes the next few weeks about more than simply closing the year with a win. [Read more 🡒]
Former Tar Heel Harrison Ingram Just Made His NBA Case Again
Harrison Ingram keeps finding ways to make himself harder to ignore. The former Tar Heel turned in a triple-double for the Salt Lake City Stars in the 2026-27 NBA G League season, filling the box score with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while continuing to show the kind of all-around game that made him such an intriguing prospect in Chapel Hill and beyond.
Ingrams path has already taken him from North Carolina to the NBA, where he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs before getting limited action there, and then onto a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz on Oct. 17, 2026. Performances like this one only strengthen his case for a bigger look, especially for a player whose value has always come from doing a little bit of everything rather than fitting neatly into one box. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Golfs Latest Recruiting Win Says A Lot About The Program
UNC mens golf added another pair of promising pieces to its future this week, with Dawson Lew and Evan Liu both signing scholarship agreements to play in Chapel Hill. The announcement came from head coach Andrew DiBitetto and associate head coach Noah Goldman, and it fits the broader pattern of a program that has continued to target accomplished amateurs with proven rsums and room to grow.
Lew arrives with a strong track record north of the border, including wins at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship and the Canadian Mens Amateur. Liu brings his own decorated background from California, where he piled up honors including California Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year, giving UNC two recruits who have already shown they can win before reaching college golf. [Read more 🡒]