Lia Thomas finished second in the women's 200 yard freestyle prelim with a time of 1:45.09 It was 1:45.
Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania qualified for her second final at the NCAA Championships after finishing the 200 yard freestyle in 1 minute, 42.09 seconds to secure the second seed for the evening finals.
Taylor Ruck won her heat in 1:41.89 and will be the top seed.
USC senior Laticia-Leigh Transom was the first to open the race. She was behind after the first 100. Thomas passed Transom on the last turn.
Thomas entered the prelims with the third-fastest time in the country. She held the top time until Wednesday, when she was overtaken by two other swimmers, one of whom was competing in the 800 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships.
The top three seeds, Thomas, Ruck and Ivey, are separated by 0.35 seconds going into the final Friday night. It is possible to beat the record time of 1:39.10 set in 2015.
Thomas became the first trans athlete to win a national championship when she won the 500 freestyle. Her victory came amid protests outside of the McAuley Aquatic Center and there was a noticeable quiet from the crowd inside.
In an op-ed published by Newsweek, Sullivan showed her support for the University of Texas freshman who finished third.
Sullivan said that he couldn't sit silently by as he saw a fellow swimmer's fundamental rights being put up for debate. Lia doesn't win every time. She deserves to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labeled a cheater simply because of her identity.
A group of protesters returned to the lawn outside of the pool. There were yellow barriers on the sidewalk. An event staff member said the increased attention around Thomas caused the additional barriers.
Protesters chanted through a megaphone.
The Save Women's Sports protester, who traveled to Atlanta from her home in Washington, said that Lia Thomas didn't win. He cheated. He took a place from many women. It was devastating.
Thomas will swim the 200 and 100 freestyles on Friday and Saturday.
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