CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The University of Louisville's Jayden Ulrich has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Women's Field Performer of the Year, the league office announced Thursday, June 20, 2024.
This accolade follows a season where Ulrich, a junior, achieved remarkable success, including a national runner-up finish in the women's discus and a fourth-place finish in the women's shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
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Ulrich's performance at the NCAA Championships contributed 13 points to the Louisville women's team's overall score, securing them a 22nd-place finish in the team standings.
Her achievements this season also include being named the 2024 USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Southeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year.
At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Ulrich claimed two titles and set a new meet record in the discus with a throw of 61.31 meters (201-2). Throughout the season, she consistently broke records, posting a program-record and personal-best mark of 18.66 meters (61-2.75) in the shot put to win the NCAA East Regional title. Additionally, her throw of 64.29 meters (210-11) at the Pacific Coast Invitational placed her in the top-10 in NCAA history and set a new ACC conference record.
The East Alton native and East Alton-Wood River High School graduate amassed seven event victories and 12 top-two finishes this season. Notably, she surpassed the 60-meter mark in the discus at six different meets and exceeded 18 meters in the shot put at three meets.
Looking ahead, Ulrich is set to compete at the United States Olympic Trials, which will be held June 21-30 in Eugene, Ore., at Hayward Field. She will participate in both the shot put and discus throw events, vying for a chance to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Reflecting on Ulrich's success, her high school coach at East Alton-Wood River, Russ Colona, remarked, "It is just so satisfying to watch her reach all these accomplishments. She has worked very hard to earn what she is doing. My son Nicholas and I both knew she was special and she is proving it. We are excited to see how far she can go."
