The University of Pennsylvania has nominated transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award.
Her nomination was announced by the NCAA in a release on [July 14]. Thomas is one of 577 graduating student athletes across the nation who were recognized by their alma mater.
She was the first transgender person to become a NCAA Division I champion after she won the women’s 500-yard freestyle event in March.
Thomas had hoped to continue on to the Olympics, but last month competitive swimming’s global governing body FINA effectively banned transgender athletes from participating in elite women’s competitions.
Her swimming career was racked with controversy at every turn following her transition. She competed on Penn’s men’s team for her first three years before moving to the women’s team in 2020.
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The concentration of testosterone in a transgender female swimmer’s blood must be less than 5 nanomoles per liter continuously for at least 36 months before she can compete. Additionally, a panel of three independent medical experts will determine whether a swimmer’s prior development as a man gives her an advantage over her cisgender competitors.
The rule change came too late to exclude Thomas last season, but she would have been barred this season if she hadn’t graduated since her transition began less than 36 months before her debut on the women’s team.
