Meredith Wells has been drawn to aerobatics and tumbling since the first time she saw it.
“I was always the really strong gymnast, not always the most graceful and flexible. Acrobatics and tumbling is all about being super strong and powerful, and combining all these skills from different sports into something else,” said Wells. “When I saw it and saw what these girls were doing, I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to do.”
With National Championship wins from 2022 to 2024 at Baylor University, pursuing this path proved to be a good decision.
Growing up in Highland Village, Texas, Wells was involved in gymnastics from a very young age.
“My mom was a gymnastics coach, so I was kind of in the gym immediately,” said Wells.
At age 11, Wells tried almost every sport out there, falling in love with basketball and diving.
However, her love of gymnastics never faded, and by eighth grade she returned to the sport.
According to Wells, her childhood dream was to compete in the Olympics.
In high school, she focused on gymnastics and set her sights on becoming a college athlete.
Wells competed in cheer and gymnastics in high school which led her to “stunting,” a type of acrobatics, and to attending summer camps where she was introduced to the sport of acrobatics and tumbling.
After being recruited by Baylor University, Wells committed in 2022. She enters her senior year as a base/tumbler on the acrobatics and tumbling team.
Baylor has a proud history in acrobatics and tumbling. With 10 national championships, the program is the most decorated in the country.
Wells has been part of the national championship team for three years and hopes to earn a fourth during her senior season.
She also has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team, a Baylor Athletics Academic Champion, and has appeared on the dean’s list.
When she is not competing, Wells enjoys flying. She holds a private pilot’s license and learned to fly with her father, who introduced her to aviation in high school.
Wells said support from her family has been foundational to her success as an athlete. She credits the close connection in her family to her father’s Choctaw roots.
“I know that family is something super important to the Choctaw culture and that’s something that my dad has instilled within our family,” she said.
After her collegiate career, Wells hopes to coach at a university and help grow the sport of acrobatics and tumbling. She also plans to attend graduate school for a master’s in sports psychology.