2024 NCAA Qualifier Tristen Ulett Returning To Louisville For COVID-19 Fifth Year

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

2024 NCAA qualifier Tristen Ulett will return to Louisville to use her COVID-19 fifth year during the 2024-2025 season.

At the end of her senior season, Ulett closed her Instagram caption saying, “i love this team and i am so proud to be associated with this group and i am even more blessed that i get the opportunity to do what i love one final time!!”

Ulett competed as an undergraduate with Louisville for all four seasons. Ulett was the #12 ranked recruit coming out of high school and made NCAAs in all four of her seasons with the Cardinals.

As a freshman, Ulett made two ACC ‘A’ finals including a 3rd place finish in the 200 butterfly. She earned an invite to NCAAs where she went on to finish 22nd in the 100 fly, 23rd in the 200 fly, and 37th in the 100 back.

During her sophomore season, she made the ‘A’ final at ACCs in the 100 and 200 butterfly, finishing 4th in both events and swimming personal best times in both as well. At 2022 NCAAs, she made the ‘B’ final of both events. She finished 12th in the 100 fly in a personal best time of a 51.02 and 12th in the 200 fly in a 1:53.63, a time that also was a personal best. Her 10 individual points and relay contributions helped the Louisville women to a 6th place finish at NCAAs.

In 2023, as a junior, Ulett once again made the ACC ‘A’ finals in both butterfly events before earning an invite to NCAAs. At 2023 NCAAs, she made the ‘B’ final of the 100 fly swimming a 51.18 for 11th. She also was 24th in prelims of the 200 fly and 30th in the 200 IM. Her six individual points and relay swim in the 800 free relay (where the team finished 11th), helped the team to a 4th place finish, tying their highest in program history.

This past season, Ulett switched up her ACC event line up and did not swim the 100 fly. She made two ‘B’ finals and one ‘C’ final. She added the 100 fly back at NCAAs, finishing 25th in the event. She also was 23rd in the 200 IM and 27th in the 200 fly.

Ulett’s best SCY times are:

• 100 fly: 51.02 (2022 NCAAs)
• 200 fly: 1:53.63 (2022 NCAAs)
• 200 free: 1:45.04 (2023 ACCs)
• 200 IM: 1:56.36 (2022 ACCs)

Ulett was one of three seniors to make NCAAs this past season for the Cardinals along with Paige Hetrick and Gabi Albiero. Hetrick will also return for her fifth year. The team had 13 total individual NCAA qualifiers, including fifth year Christiana Regenauer.

Ulett told SwimSwam she was motivated to return because, “of my amazing teammates and their support, also being able to swim one last year with my younger sister and retire together is something special to me. I also had a very challenging year dealing with a few injuries and I am grateful to have the opportunity to swim for one more year!” She will be working towards a Master’s in Social Work.

SwimSwam: 2024 NCAA Qualifier Tristen Ulett Returning To Louisville For COVID-19 Fifth Year