NCAA Choice For Woman Of The Year Sparks Controversy

Sylvie Binder, a fencer for Columbia University, was chosen by the Ivy League over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, a national champion, when the NCAA unveiled its conference selections for the 2022 Woman of the Year award on Monday.

Binder, a senior from Armonk, New York, was one of the eight athletes chosen from The Ivy League conference out of the 577 students that were nominated for this award earlier this month.

She won the NCAA Women’s Foil Championship in 2019 and finished third at the NCAA Championships with a final record of 17-6. This season, she finished fifth at the Ivy League Championships, second at the Northeast Regional, and third overall. She was also recognized as Columbia’s finest senior student-athlete and winner of the 2022 Women’s Connie S. Maniatty Award.

Thomas, whose candidacy in mid-July generated a discussion about her eligibility as a transgender female, lost out to Binder in the competition.

Thomas broke swimming pool records during the college swimming season of 2021–2022, which culminated in an NCAA swimming championship in March and sparked a heated discussion over transgender athletes competing in sports.

Thomas spent three seasons swimming for Penn’s men’s swim team before transitioning.

Following the announcement on Monday, the field was reduced to 151 student-athletes. The top 30 nominees from each division will now be chosen by the Woman of the Year Selection Committee, and they will be revealed in October.

The criteria for selection include each nominee’s personal statement, service and leadership, academic excellence, and athletic excellence.

The winner will be declared at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio in January.