She committed to swim at Loyola University Maryland, the summer before her senior year in high school.

In October 2016, she fell during calculus class and suffered a fractured vertebrae and a Tarlov cyst at the base of her spine.

[1] She was forced to complete her senior year of high school online and decommitted from college swimming.

After two-and-a-half years of pain management and rehabilitation, she received her classification in 2019 at the Bill Keating Cincinnati Para Swimming Open.

[4][5] On June 30, 2024, Winnett was named to team USA's roster to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.