On Bella Woods’ last day during her visit at the University of Pittsburgh, head gymnastics coach Casey Jo MacPherson met with Woods and her parents in her office to discuss the senior’s future in the program. After observing Woods’ dedication and personality, MacPherson recognized her potential as an asset to the team and offered her a full athletic scholarship as an all-around gymnast for the upcoming school year.
During her visit to Pitt, Woods toured the gym, academic buildings and new athletic facility that none of the other gymnasts had yet seen. She met counselors and said she was impressed with how much staff cared about each student’s future. Woods said Pitt had already been on her list of potential schools, with it being close to home and the opportunity of living in Pittsburgh, but what really sold her was the team’s chemistry and how much the coaches wanted to see the team succeed. This is what ultimately led to Woods’ decision to commit and sign with Pitt, an NCAA Division I school.
“Growing up, Parkersburg, like the school, doesn’t have a gymnastics team and I was just very intrigued with being a part of a team for a school because I’ve never had that with gymnastics,” Woods said. “I just think it would be really fun to represent a school and have a team that is all on the same level and is really encouraging.”
Woods began her gymnastics career at an early age, starting out with mommy and me classes at age two then tumbling classes at age three. She began competing at age four.
“After watching the show ‘Dance Moms,’ it inspired my mom to put me in tumbling classes and dance around the age of three,” Woods said. “I loved both tumbling and dance, but really fell in love with gymnastics because I got to do a little dance and flip and I just loved it.”
From ages seven to 10, Woods competed in a series of strength and gymnastics evaluations that earned her the opportunity to practice at the Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Training Center in Texas. There, she trained alongside Olympians such as Laurie Hernandez and coaches Béla and Márta Károlyi. This led her to compete in two national competitions, one in Oklahoma in 2023 and another in Utah in 2025. In 2024, Woods also competed in an invitational in the Bahamas, where she placed second overall.
Woods had her first official signing on Dec. 2 at Gymniks Gymnastics in Vienna surrounded by her family, friends and fellow gymnasts. The signing recognized years of dedication and commitment that helped shape her success both in and out of the gym.
“I was happy to see all the people who have supported and keep supporting me all my life attend my signing and still support me after high school,” Woods said.
While Woods is pursuing her gymnastics career, she will be working toward getting a major in exercise science with the goal of becoming a doctor in sports medicine, an orthopedic surgeon or a pediatrician.
“Gymnastics is my first love,” Woods said. “I have put so much of my life into this sport with missing events, including my junior year prom, because I just love it so much. It challenges me every day and gives me an escape from everyday life. I love the feeling of flipping and just love how I can always learn a new trick and improve myself. There is no end to what I can do with this sport.”
