ATLANTA – In her second NCAA final appearance, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas tied for fifth in Friday’s 200-yard freestyle at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
Stanford Junior and Canadian Olympian Taylor Ruck claimed the title, touching Cal Senior Isabel Ivey on the wall in 1 minute, 41.12 seconds to set a McAuley Aquatic Center record. It was the second time that a pool record was set in the 200 freestyle at the NCAA Championship. Ruck’s time was 2.02 seconds behind Missy Franklin’s NCAA record of 1: 39.10 in 2015.
“I’m so happy to have my teammates behind me,” Ruck said in a post-course interview with Elizabeth Beisel on ESPN. “This whole season was just a blast back. I’m so grateful to have them here.”
Earlier in the meeting, Thomas was the first transgender athlete to win a Division I National Championship as she won the 500 freestyle on Thursday.
Ruck, Thomas and Ivey were the top three seeds in Friday’s 200 free final after their times in their qualifying heats were separated by 0.35 seconds. Ruck quickly took the lead, and Thomas was seventh in the first round. Thomas followed suit as Ruck and Ivey scrapped the lead for the lead. Thomas advanced in the last 100 yards, but eventually finished in 1: 43.40, more than a second slower than her predecessor.
The jerk reached over the spur line to shake hands with Thomas before swimming to Ivey and embracing her.
In Friday’s final, Ivey’s 1: 41.35 was the fastest time in the event and also the McAuley pool record. She put the mark on Wednesday night in the 800 freestyle relays (the NCAA counts the leadoff legs of the relays as official times). Thomas had previously held the fastest time since December with the 1: 41.93 they swam at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
Thomas’ victory in the 500 free came amid protests outside the McAuley Aquatic Center, and remarkable silence from the otherwise evil people inside. Some members of the swimming community have gone on record with their opinions about Thomas and the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, but that ice has started to tho throughout the championship meet.
“I put myself in Lia’s parents’ shoes,” Sophia Ruck, Taylor’s mother, told ESPN before the 200 freestyle. “And I have nothing but empathy. And if that’s what Lia has to do to live her best life, it’s up to Lia.”
Jennifer Reese, the mother of UCLA swimmer Claire Grover, told ESPN: “I have always felt that Lia Thomas and every swimmer should be shown the respect they deserve. That being said, there are clear differences. is one thing, but the competition is different. Biological females and biological males are two different people. And I think that’s important. It makes me sad. I think everything women’s fought for so long is eroded. “
Thomas is scheduled to swim 100 free on Saturday. She is the 10th seed.
ESPN’s John Barr contributed to this report.
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