Lia Thomas became the first trans woman to win an NCAA swimming championship when she took control in the final 100 yards of the 500-yard freestyle.
The University of Pennsylvania senior, who entered the NCAA women's swimming and diving championships as the top seed, had a season-best time of 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds.
Thomas, a former male swimmer for Penn State, said he didn't have a lot of expectation for the meet.
Emma Weyant was second.
The race was close until the final 100 yards, when Weyant andErica Sullivan of Texas pushed Thomas for the lead. The three swam in lanes three through five, with Thomas in the middle.
In Thursday's preliminary win, Thomas was stronger at the end. She won the preliminary race.
Sullivan was third in the race. Brooke Forde was fourth.
The 10th seed in the 100 freestyle is Thomas, who is the top seed in the 200 freestyle.
Thomas has followed the rules of the NCAA and Ivy League since she began her transition in 2019.
The inclusion of the swimmer caused controversy. There were fewer than 10 protesters outside the Georgia Tech facility, and some of them carried banners which read "Save Women" in the stands.
Thomas tries to ignore it as much as possible.
After the race, Thomas spoke with ESPN but wouldn't participate in the official news conference required by the NCAA. The evaluation by the NCAA's swimming and diving championships committee could lead to action.
Julia Mrozinski won the consolation final with a time of 888-492-0. The second place was taken by Northwestern's Lola Mull.
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