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The University of Pennsylvania took swift action on Tuesday to adhere to the resolution agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights after an investigation found that UPenn violated Title IX during the 2021-22 season because of the inclusion of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
As part of that resolution, UPenn agreed to restore individual titles and records to those female athletes that were “misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories.”
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, left, of the University of Pennsylvania stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists, from left to right, Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde pose for a photo at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship on March 17, 2022 in Atlanta. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
However, while the university’s website was updated to remove Thomas’ name from a trio of records the former swimmer set during that season, the website still acknowledged Thomas’ record with a note regarding NCAA eligibility rules at the time.
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“NOTE: Competing under eligibility rules in effect at the time, Lia Thomas set program records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season,” the annotation read.
Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title. During competition, Thomas set multiple individual program records, including the 500 freestyle race which resulted in a national title.
According to UPenn’s website, Anna Kalandadze’s record of 4:37.21 set in 2024 in the 500 free was restored as the new record. Kayla Fu, a freshman at UPenn, had her 2025 record in the 100 free restored as the new record.
Transgender athlete Lia Thomas looks on after winning the Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology on March 17, 2022 in Atlanta. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
SEC MCMAHON OPENS UP ON HISTORIC UPENN TITLE IX AGREEMENT AND NEXT STEPS IN FIGHT TO SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS
Additionally, former UPenn swimmer Virginia Burns, who set the 200 free record with a time of 1:45.51 in 2017, had her record restored as the top time.
The Education Department previously launched an investigation into UPenn on Feb. 6. The Trump administration later froze $175 million in funding for the school on March 20 for failing to comply with an executive order. Then, on April 28, the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights announced its investigation concluded that UPenn did violate Title IX in its handling of the Thomas situation.
As a result of this week’s resolution agreement, UPenn agreed to restore records and issue apologies to female athletes impacted by those violations.
Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas cheers for teammates competing in the 1650-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League swimming and diving championships at Harvard on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
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“While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement released by the university on Tuesday.
“We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
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