NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships kicks off Wednesday at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas will seek to close out a contentious season in three individual events, in two of which Thomas ranks first in the nation.
Thomas, a 22-year-old transgender woman, is one of 322 athletes who qualified for the men’s and women’s championships this week after setting several records at the Ivy League championships last month with wins in the 100 events , 200 and 500 m freestyle.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE AT FOXNEWS.COM
The seeded seed with a time of 4:34.06, Thomas is the favorite to win the women’s 500 freestyle as well as the 200 freestyle with the best time of 1:41.93. She also has a good chance of disrupting the 100 freestyle as the 10th-ranked swimmer.
Lia Thomas of Pennsylvania cheers on her teammates competing in the 1650 yard freestyle final at the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.
(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Thomas’ dominance in the pool comes amid heated debate over whether transgender female athletes should be allowed to compete against biological women.
The NCAA updated its transgender participation policy in January to rely on guidance from each sport’s governing body. The NCAA announced that its policy would go into effect in March, beginning with the Division I women’s swimming and diving championships.
16 LIA THOMAS TEAMMATES URGE PENN, IVY LEAGUE NOT TO FIGHT NEW US SWIMMING RULES ON TRANSGENDER ATHLETES
USA Swimming updated its policy shortly after requiring transgender athletes who compete at an elite level have low levels of testosterone — half of what Thomas was allowed to compete with — for at least 36 months before dying. to be eligible, but the NCAA said weeks later that the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CMAS) administrative subcommittee decided it would not change its testosterone guidelines, stating that “Implementing additional changes at this point could have unfair and potentially detrimental impacts on schools and student-athletes intending to compete in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships.”
Lia Thomas of Pennsylvania smiles after winning the 100-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.
(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
The women’s championship begins Wednesday at 6 p.m. with the 200 QN relay. Read below for the full schedule of events.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
WEDNESDAY MARCH 16
Finals 6 p.m. ET
– Relay 200 medley
– 800 freestyle relay
THURSDAY MARCH 17
Preliminary: 10 a.m. ET
– 500 freestyle
– 200 individual medley
– 50 freestyle
– Diving to one meter
Finals: 6 p.m. ET
– 500 freestyle
– 200 individual medley
– 50 freestyle
– Diving to one meter
FRIDAY 18TH MARCH
Preliminary: 10 a.m. ET
– 400 individual medley
– 100 Butterfly
– 200 freestyle
– 100 Breaststroke
– 100 backstroke
– Diving to three meters
Final: 6 p.m. ET
– 400 individual medley
– 100 Butterfly
– 200 freestyle
– 100 Breaststroke
– 100 backstroke
– Diving to three meters
SATURDAY MARCH 19
Prelims: 10 a.m. ET
– 200 backstroke
– 100 freestyle
– 200 Breaststroke
– 200 Butterfly
– Platform diving
– 1,650 freestyle
Finals: 6 p.m. ET
– 200 backstroke
– 100 freestyle
– 200 Breaststroke
– 200 Butterfly
– Platform diving
– 400 m free relay
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.