Lia Thomas, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, set an Ivy League record for fastest 200-yard freestyle Friday evening to earn her second victory at the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships.
Thomas completed the freestyle in a minute and 43.12 seconds, which was .66 seconds faster than the previous record set by Harvard’s Miki Dahlke in 2020. She won the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, completing that event in four minutes and 37.32 seconds.
Thomas, a transgender woman, set a variety of school records this year, and is also preparing to participate in the NCAA championships in March
Thomas has been at the center of debate around participation in women's sports, which peaked when 16 Penn swimmers wrote a letter stating Thomas shouldn’t compete on the women’s team.