The University of Pennsylvania has officially removed Lia Thomas’ name from its women’s swimming record books following a federal investigation into Title IX violations.
The move comes after months of scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which questioned whether allowing a transgender woman to compete in female collegiate sports amounted to sex-based discrimination under federal law.
Thomas, who swam on UPenn’s men’s team before transitioning and joining the women’s team in the 2021–2022 season, became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I women’s title.
Her win in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022 placed her at the center of a national debate on the boundaries of inclusion and fairness in women’s sports.
In early 2025, the federal government began investigating UPenn over its decision to allow Thomas to compete and the university faced the possible loss of $175 million in federal funding.
As part of a settlement agreement, UPenn agreed to strip Thomas of her school records and titles, restore them to the previous athletes, and adopt new policies defining sex based on biological characteristics for sports eligibility.
In a formal statement released with the agreement, UPenn acknowledged that while it complied with NCAA rules at the time, the university now recognizes the impact the situation had on its cisgender female athletes.
“We acknowledge that many women felt they were denied equal athletic opportunity and a supportive environment,” the university said. “We apologize to the women who were impacted.”
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who tied with Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle in 2022 and has since become a prominent voice for fairness in women’s sports, welcomed the outcome. Gaines described the university’s reversal as a milestone, saying, “This is a huge win for women and girls everywhere.”
The Department of Education also required the university to provide individual written apologies to the female athletes affected and to formally remove Thomas’ results from both team and individual accomplishments in the school’s recordkeeping.
In addition, the agreement mandates that future UPenn athletes must compete on teams aligned with their biological sex, effectively barring transgender women from joining women’s teams or using their locker rooms.
While UPenn has complied with federal demands, the NCAA has yet to update its national record books. Thomas remains listed as the official 500-yard freestyle champion in the 2022 NCAA Division I finals. Gaines has publicly called on the NCAA to follow UPenn’s lead, saying in a post-settlement interview, “The NCAA should now do the bare minimum and strip Thomas’ national title, too.”
The university’s policy change follows a broader shift in federal civil rights enforcement under the Trump administration. A recent executive order redefined Title IX protections as applying strictly on the basis of biological sex, reversing earlier guidance that included gender identity.
The developments have reignited a national conversation over how best to balance inclusivity and competitive fairness in sports. While some view UPenn’s move as a long-overdue correction, advocacy groups have warned that such policies risk undermining the rights of transgender athletes.
As the NCAA and other institutions face growing pressure to clarify their stances, the implications of UPenn’s decision may extend far beyond one swimmer or one school. The debate over who gets to compete, and under what conditions, is set to remain a defining issue in the future of women’s sports.
