Mother of Ivy League swimmer who raced against trans athlete Lia Thomas slams her 'Woman of the Year' award nomination

The mother of an Ivy League swimmer who lost to transgender UPenn athlete Lia Thomas in a competition is criticizing the school for making the nomination, calling it “humiliating and devastating.”

On “Fox & Friends First” on Monday, Kim Jones expressed her disgust at the nomination. She claimed that the institution was implying that “women don’t matter.”

Kim Jones, mother of an Ivy League swimmer who competed against UPenn transgender athlete Lia Thomas, appeared on 'Fox & Friends First' and slammed the university for nominating Thomas for the NCAA 'Woman of the Year' award

‘[The message is] they’re not even worthy of dignity and comfort in their locker rooms,’ Jones said. ‘And this nomination is just the embodiment of that message. It’s really frustrating to understand where the current NCAA and Ivy League and especially Penn’s stance is on the value of women in modern society.’

Thomas, 22, was one of two students nominated for the Woman of the Year Award from the National College Athletics Association.

Jones, a former All-American tennis player whose daughter played Thomas, is the most recent person to come forward and express their displeasure.

Thomas, 22, was named by UPenn as one of two students nominated for the National College Athletics' Association's Woman of the Year Award

Others who spoke out in response to Thomas’ nomination for the prestigious prize included tennis icon Martina Navratilova, University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, and one of the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year contenders.

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports, which Marshi Smith, a former NCAA swimming champion and co-founder of, co-founded, joined Jones on Fox Monday and said, “NCAA needs to address core truths.”

‘There is a biological difference between men and women,’ she continued. ‘And if we can’t agree that that foundational truth is a reality, then how can we protect our girls and women?’

Marshi Smith, a former NCAA champion swimmer, joined Kim Jones on 'Fox & Friends First' and said that the 'NCAA needs to acknowledge fundamental truths'

According to Jones, college athletes prepare for many hours only to have their efforts “dismissed” when biological males are given an unfair physical advantage in competition.

‘That’s what all that effort, all those hours, all that hard work, and the journey that was supposed to be so empowering and fulfilling has been reduced to something that people think is a sideshow. It’s really frustrating,’ she said.

The nomination, according to Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, is “another slap in the face to women” and “NCAA has made this award meaningless,” she wrote on Twitter..’

‘[T]his is yet another slap in the face to women. First a female national title and now nominated for the pinnacle award in collegiate athletics. The NCAA has made this award worthless,’ Gaines wrote.

Riley Gaines (pictured right), University of Kentucky swimmer and one of 2022's NCAA Woman of the Year nominees, is speaking out after the University of Pennsylvania nominated transgender swimmer Lia Thomas (pictured left) for the prestigious award

Gaines and Thomas famously tied for fifth place in the women’s 200-meter NCAA finals in March, but as there was only one trophy, the event’s administrators informed Gaines that Thomas would receive it while hers would be mailed later.

Gaines wasn’t the only athlete who expressed her fury on Twitter.

Gaines and Thomas famously tied for 5th place in the women's 200-meter NCAA championships in March, but as there was only one trophy, Gaines was told by organizers that the trophy would be given to Thomas, while hers would be mailed at a later time

The woman with the most major titles in women’s tennis during the Open Era, Navratilova, also mocked the candidacy on Twitter.

‘Not enough fabulous biological women athletes, NCAA?!? What is wrong with you?!!!!!!!?’ she tweeted.

Other athletes and commentators also commented.

Former NCAA champion swimmer Marshi Smith tweeted: ‘How many women’s awards are we willing to surrender? The Ivy League choosing a male as their nominee is doubling down on their anti-woman campaign.’

Thomas, who won the 500-yard freestyle final in March 2022, is the first known transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship

Physics teacher Debbie Hayton, who is herself, transgender, was critical and said: ‘I urge Thomas to do what is right and respectfully decline the nomination, and possibly generate some respect.’

Commentators away from the world of sports also weighed in, with podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey writing: ‘NCAA dubs ‘Lia’ Thomas ‘woman’ of the year. You have a laugh at the audacity of our current dystopia. Rest assured that the harder they push this stuff, the harder the pendulum will swing back. And it will swing back—sooner than you think.’

Thomas’ nomination by UPenn has continued in spite of repeated criticism from other athletes and their families regarding her achievement.

Shame on them for nominating Lia Thomas,’ a conservative college organization Young America’s Foundation wrote on Twitter. ‘UPenn must have forgotten that in order to qualify for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, one must actually be a woman.

The governing organization of swimming, FINA, has since prohibited transgender athletes from competing in elite competitions.