Riley Gaines, former Kentucky swimming star, slams nomination of Lia Thomas for NCAA Woman of the Year

Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines slammed the College of Pennsylvania’s determination to nominate Lia Thomas for the NCAA’s Female of the Year award Friday.

Thomas, who is transgender, grew to become the to start with trans woman to acquire titles at the Ivy League and NCAA championships. 

But her prowess in the pool ignited a hotly contested discussion around whether or not transgender lady really should be permitted to compete in sports activities from organic gals.

Gaines tweeted her belief, saying the NCAA is earning the best award in collegiate athletics “worthless.”

Click Listed here FOR Additional Athletics Coverage ON FOXNEWS.COM

“Staying the serious woman in that picture and also University of Kentucky’s nominee for NCAA WOTY, this is however one more slap in the confront to females. First a female countrywide title and now nominated for the pinnacle award in collegiate athletics,” she wrote in a tweet reaction to Outkick founder Clay Travis. “The @NCAA has manufactured this award worthless.

“This award combines athletic effectiveness with teachers, provider, and character. What character has Thomas proven other than sheer selfishness and entitlement? The disrespect and disregard for the other feminine athletes in Thomas’ interviews is eye opening.”

Gaines was also nominated for NCAA Girl of the Year by the College of Kentucky immediately after she completed her job in the pool. She received 3 personal conference titles in the SEC, broke two SEC records, had 12 All-The us awards and graduated with summa cum laude honors. She finished powering Thomas in the 200-garden freestyle at the NCAA championships earlier this calendar year.

LIA THOMAS NOMINATED BY College OF PENNSYLVANIA FOR NCAA ‘WOMAN OF THE YEAR’ AWARD

“This award acknowledges not only athletic general performance but also academics, services and character, so to be thought of as an individual who embodies all of these factors is really humbling,” Gaines explained in a information release on the school’s athletics web page. “I’m conscious I was up versus a department full of wonderful female pupil-athletes, so I’m very grateful and often proud to be a Wildcat. I have so much really like for British isles and Massive Blue Nation.”

Just about every NCAA member university nominates a Girl of the Calendar year. Each meeting then opinions the nominations from its member universities and submits its convention nominee to the NCAA. Nominees who compete in sports not sponsored by their school’s key conference and unbiased nominees will be sent to a independent pool of nominations and deemed by a committee.

The corporation then identifies the top 30 and, from there, selects 3 finalists from each and every pool. From the nine finalists, the NCAA will pick out a winner.

The nomination of Thomas comes soon after FINA, the governing system for international swimming, voted to approve new polices for transgender swimmers.

Click on In this article TO GET THE FOX News Application

The recently authorised “gender inclusion coverage” only permits swimmers who transitioned prior to the age of 12 to take part in women’s events.