NCAA Champion and University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas received bad news on Monday when the NCAA announced its conference selections for the 2022 Woman of the Year award naming Columbia University fencer Sylvie Binder as The Ivy League pick.
Binder, a senior from Armonk, New York, was among the 577 overall students nominated for this honor earlier this month and was one of the eight athletes nominated from The Ivy League conference. The Columbia fencer will now advance to the next round, becoming one of 151 females vying for the honor.
An NCAA Women’s Foil Champion in 2019, she placed fifth at The Ivy League championships this season, second at the Northeast Regional, and third at the NCAA Championships with an overall record of 17-6. She was also named the 2022 Women’s Connie S. Maniatty Award winner as Columbia’s top senior student-athlete.
Binder beat out several other athletes for the distinction including Thomas, whose nomination in mid-July sparked a debate surrounding her eligibility as a transgender female.
The NCAA will narrow the list to 30 honorees in October, and the winner will be announced in January.