Penn’s Lia Thomas sets record, wins second Ivy League title

University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas captured her second title at the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships Friday.

Thomas clocked a time of 1:43.12 seconds, setting a new meet record in the 200-yard freestyle. The University of Penn swimmer was three seconds faster than Harvard’s Samantha Shelton, who touched the wall at 1:45.82. Molly Hamlin of Harvard finished behind her teammate in third.

Thomas’ new record replaces Harvard’s Miki Dahlke’s time of 1:43:78, set in 2020 at the Ivy League championships.

With a 500-yard freestyle win already under her belt, Thomas’ 200 free title makes her the first swimmer at the 2022 Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships to clinch two individual events.

Thomas’ inclusion on the women’s team has been at the center of a national debate about transgender participation in the NCAA. The Penn swimmer previously competed on the men’s team for three years before joining the women’s team this season.

Teammate Andie Myers has been publicly supportive of Thomas following the national discourse around transgender participation in swimming, donning a mask with the trans flag on it during Friday’s meet.