Lia Thomas, Penn jump into Ivy League Championships with 3rd place finish in 800-yard freestyle relay
Penn would finish in fifth place in the first event of the night — the 200 medley relay
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lia Thomas and the Penn Quakers got their first taste of the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday night.
While there were no individual races during the night, Thomas was a part of the team’s 800-yard freestyle relay with Margot Kaczorowski, Anna Sofia Kalandadze and Bridget O’Leary.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Penn's Lia Thomas warms up before the team relay events at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Thomas, a senior, swam the first leg of the relay and got a bit of a challenge from Yale’s Iszac Henig, who is transitioning from a female to a male. Thomas swam behind Henig for much of the first leg before the next Penn swimmer jumped into the water.
Thomas was barely in first place after the first leg, finishing with a 1:44.50 while Henig had a 1:44.65.
By the third leg, Harvard jumped out to lead after coming back against Penn in the second leg. As the final leg started, Harvard and Yale were Nos. 1 and 2, with Penn falling back into third place.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harvard would hold onto the lead, with Yale finishing in second place and Penn in third.
TRANSGENDER LIA THOMAS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE AT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, IVY LEAGUE CONFIRMS
Penn's Lia Thomas leads the team in a cheer before the relay events at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
At the awards ceremony, fans could be heard cheering for the Quakers as the team was announced for third place. Thomas and her teammates were posing for pictures while on the medals stand.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Penn finished in fifth place in the 200-yard medley. Princeton won that event.
The Ivy League Championships are set to run from Wednesday to Saturday. Harvard is leading the championships overall with Princeton, Yale, Penn and Brown rounding out the top five.
Thomas, who has been drawn into the national spotlight due to the debate over whether transgender female athletes should be able to compete against biological females in sporting events. She received the all-clear to compete in the conference championships in the days leading up to it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, right competes in the 200 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
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She is expected to compete in several individual events over the course of the week, including the 200 free, 500 free, 1,000 free and 1,650 free.