Clemson, S.C. – Graduate student Rebecca Wells has been named one of the nominees for this year’s AAI award, it was announced today by American Athletic, Inc. (AAI). Fifty-nine female athletes are nominated for this year’s award, which is presented to the most outstanding collegiate senior female gymnast in the country.
The AAI Award is widely considered the Heisman Trophy of Women’s gymnastics. AAI has been awarding this honor for over 30 years.
NCAA head coaches are asked to submit a nomination for the candidate or candidates of their choice. After the initial nominations, the field is narrowed to the top 6 athletes.
Wells is a redshirt senior from Smyrna, Tenn., who took a leap of faith in joining the brand-new Clemson gymnastics program to finish her collegiate career. Wells holds the title of first-ever Clemson gymnast to compete in a meet, leading off for the Tigers on vault in the first meet of the season, the first gymnast to compete for a brand-new Division I program since Arkansas started their program in 2002-2003. She’s Clemson’s leader in All-Around competition, earning the distinction of being the only All-Around winner in Clemson history (seven wins). In Clemson’s first meet, Wells won the All-Around competition, leading the Tigers to the highest score ever by a team in their inaugural meet. She led the Tigers to a secondplace finish at ACCs in the program’s first year, while setting career-highs on beam, floor and all-around, and tying career-highs on vault and bars. She also helped Clemson to an NCAA Tournament appearance in the program’s first season and qualified as an individual all-around performer.
Due to a preseason injury, Wells is currently only competing on bars for the Tigers, earning a season-high 9.875 versus Stanford on February 23.
While at Utah State, she led the Aggies to their first conference title since 2005 and first MRGC title in school history. Wells set the school record for the best all-around score at an NCAA Regional Championship meet with a 39.350 at the NCAA Norman Regional, where she also set the record for best beam score in school history at a regional meet.
Outside the gym, Wells is involved in Clemson’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and Tiger Leadership Academy. The Tiger Leadership Academy is a three-year program designed to enhance student-athletes’ leadership abilities and increase their effectiveness on their teams. Students participate in leadership activities, self-reflection, and service projects to gain personal development skills to enhance team culture, promote high performance, and prepare them for success in life.
Wells obtained an undergraduate degree from Clemson in May of 2024 and is now pursuing a master’s in athletic leadership.
