Former Collegiate Swimmer Dies Suddenly at 23

Former University of Arizona men’s swimmer Ty Wells, 23, passed away on Friday.

🚨 BREAKING — Ty Wells, 23, University Of Arizona Swim Team Member, Dies Suddenlyhttps://t.co/fhlDWyx069 pic.twitter.com/qVA9h4mrc3

— James Cintolo, RN FN CPT (@healthbyjames) January 31, 2023

“On behalf of the entire University of Arizona community, I want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Wells family along with Ty’s friends, teammates, classmates and colleagues,” University of Arizona Athletic Director Dave Heeke said in a Monday press release.

“Ty was a tremendous young man who proudly represented the University of Arizona in the pool, classroom and community. He was a light that shined bright in the lives of everyone he came across, and we will keep him and his loved ones in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of recent alum Ty Wells, who passed away on Friday,” Arizona Athletics tweeted.

“Our heartfelt condolences are with his family, his friends and the entire @ArizonaSwimDive family.”

We are deeply saddened by the loss of recent alum Ty Wells, who passed away on Friday.

Our heartfelt condolences are with his family, his friends and the entire @ArizonaSwimDive family. pic.twitter.com/ksUtynhXWy

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) January 30, 2023

The cause of his death has not been disclosed.

Former University of Arizona swimming standout Ty Wells died suddenly Friday at the age of 23.

The cause of his death has not been disclosed.

— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) January 31, 2023

According to the University of Arizona athletics website, “Wells was a four-year member of the Arizona Swimming & Diving program from 2018 to 2022.”

Wells earned his bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences & Physiology in May of 2022.

From arizonawildcats.com:

Wells joined the Wildcats after graduating from Ripon High School near his home town of Manteca, California. He enjoyed success athletically, academically, and personally during his time as a Wildcat. He posted NCAA B cut times in all four years of competition and finished his career strong, earning three personal-best times in the pool at the 2021-22 Pac-12 Men’s Championships.

He was also a CSCAA Scholar All-American his senior year and a representative for his teammates on the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Wells was planning on pursuing a career in physical therapy or sports medicine in order to help others.

A GoFundMe has been started to pay for funeral expenses.

Our Arizona Wildcat swimming family was devastated at the sudden passing of one of our most adored swimmers this past Friday. He was a guiding light to all of his friends and teammates as well as to all of us parents. He brought out the best in all of us and cared so deeply for all of his friends. His spirit was contagious, his smile lit up a room and he was a big brother to so many. We are grateful for anything to help his family, Mom and Dad, Sandy and Joe Wells and their daughter Jessica, get thru this difficult time without having to do anything but grieve and cherish the times they had with their beautiful son Ty. He was an incredible young man who left his mark on all of us. He will be remembered by all of us with love in our hearts, FOREVER!! We are all better for knowing this beautiful young man.