Transgender Woman Wins NCAA Swimming Title

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Published on March 18 2022 6:23 am
Last Updated on March 18 2022 6:23 am

University of Pennsylania swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-meter freestyle Thursday at the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships to become the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title.

Thomas entered the event as the top seed, and won with a season-best time of four minutes and 33.24 seconds. Thomas is also the top seed in the 200-meter freestyle and the 10th seed in the 100-meter freestyle.

Thomas, who formerly competed as a male swimmer for Penn State, has followed NCAA and Ivy League rules since she began her transition in 2019 by starting hormone replacement therapy.