NCAA Silent On Lia Thomas 2022 National Championship Following UPenn Resolution

Will the NCAA follow UPenn's lead and vacate the transgender swimmer's National Championship?

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University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, became the first "transgender" athlete to win a Division I NCAA Championship in 2022 when Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle, defeating all the female opponents. 

However, many people are calling on the NCAA to revoke that National Championship and award it to the rightful winner – Emma Weyant from the University of Virginia – since Thomas is a male who won a women's championship. 

Earlier this week, the University of Pennsylvania agreed to resolve Title IX violations related to allowing Thomas to compete on the women's team during the 2021-22 season. As part of the deal, UPenn updated its women's swimming records and restored titles and accomplishments, originally awarded to Thomas, to the females who legitimately earned them. 

The NCAA did not respond when asked if it planned to vacate the Lia Thomas 2022 National Championship after the University of Pennsylvania agreed to remove the transgender swimmer's records.

The NCAA did not respond when asked if it planned to vacate the Lia Thomas 2022 National Championship after the University of Pennsylvania agreed to remove the transgender swimmer's records.

(Brett Davis/USA Today/Imagn Images)

Now, attention turns to the NCAA. OutKick reached out to the organization and asked if they planned to vacate Thomas' National Championship – and other records and accomplishments – to follow suit with UPenn .

However, the NCAA did not respond to our requests. 

The NCAA has vacated titles from 20 schools for violations, with many of those violations being much less severe than having a male competing on a women's team, so this seems like an easy one for the NCAA to rectify. 

Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast "Gaines for Girls" and one of the most influential pro-woman voices in the country, urged the NCAA to make the right decision. 

"We need the NCAA to follow suit," Gaines said. "Hopefully this [Penn resolution] sets the precedent and sends the message to every single institution… you cannot continue to discriminate against women with these regressive policies." 

Back in February, the NCAA updated its transgender policy to align with President Donald Trump's executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." The question now is whether they will also update their record books to reflect that policy and restore championships, records and accolades to women who were displaced by male athletes under their previous policy. 

The ball is in your court, NCAA. You cannot stay silent on this much longer. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.