Penn Rewrites Lia Thomas Records, Issues Apology \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The University of Pennsylvania will update school records and apologize to female swimmers affected by Lia Thomas’ participation, resolving a federal civil rights case. The Education Department found Penn violated Title IX by not protecting female athletes. The university will now enforce biology-based sports policies per the agreement.
Quick Looks
- Penn will restore records and titles to female swimmers who lost to Thomas.
- Personalized apology letters will be sent to each impacted athlete.
- Penn must adopt biology-based definitions for male and female athletes.
- Education Department found Title IX violations, prompting the settlement.
- Thomas’ past records now marked as historical, not current.
- NCAA updated eligibility rules in 2024 to restrict transgender athlete participation.
Deep Look
The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to revise its athletic records and issue formal apologies to female swimmers who competed against Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I national title. The move comes as part of a voluntary resolution with the U.S. Education Department, which investigated the school for alleged violations of Title IX, the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in education.
Under the agreement, Penn will restore all individual Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who placed behind Thomas during the 2021–22 season. Each affected athlete will also receive a personalized apology letter, acknowledging their loss of recognition due to what the Department now deems a violation of their rights under Title IX.
The university updated its athletic website Tuesday afternoon, removing Thomas’ name from top times in freestyle events and replacing it with other swimmers’ achievements. A footnote remains acknowledging that “Lia Thomas set program records… under eligibility rules in effect at the time.”
While Lia Thomas competed legally under NCAA rules in effect during the 2021–22 season, the Education Department concluded Penn had failed to protect the rights of cisgender female athletes. Education Secretary Linda McMahon applauded the settlement as a victory for women and girls, emphasizing the department’s ongoing efforts to “restore Title IX’s proper application.”
“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms,” McMahon said. “We will continue to enforce Title IX to the fullest extent of the law.”
Penn President J. Larry Jameson acknowledged the complex legal and policy environment surrounding the issue. In a statement, he said the university had always complied with NCAA and Title IX regulations as they were interpreted at the time and noted that Penn never established its own policies on transgender athlete participation.
However, under the terms of the agreement, the university must now publicly adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female and declare that males will not be permitted to compete in female athletics programs. These steps reflect a significant shift in policy in alignment with recent federal directives and the NCAA’s updated transgender participation rules announced in February 2024.
The NCAA’s new policy, which limits eligibility in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth, came amid growing public and political scrutiny of transgender athletes’ participation in women’s events. While the NCAA has historically updated its record books following recruiting violations, it has yet to comply with a federal request to adjust records impacted by transgender participation—highlighting the administrative challenge of identifying all such events retroactively.
Lia Thomas’ 2022 victory in the 500-yard freestyle remains one of the most high-profile cases in the national debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports. Her win sparked widespread controversy, leading to lawsuits, congressional hearings, and mounting pressure on institutions to redefine fairness and inclusion in athletics.
The Department of Education opened its investigation into Penn in February 2025 and concluded two months later that the university had violated Title IX by not adequately considering the rights of biologically female athletes. Although the department rarely uses punitive measures, had Penn refused to settle, the matter could have escalated, potentially risking the university’s federal funding or leading to referral to the Department of Justice.
This resolution is among the first of its kind, signaling a possible precedent for similar actions at other institutions. The Education Department also requested that the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) update athletic records, awards, and titles that it says were “misappropriated” in events where transgender athletes competed in female categories. Neither organization has formally responded.
While many athletes, parents, and policymakers continue to debate the balance between inclusivity and fairness, this settlement reflects a clear message from the federal government: biological sex will be the primary factor in determining eligibility for women’s sports moving forward.
Penn Rewrites Lia Penn Rewrites Lia
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