Lia Thomas' NCAA Woman of the Year bid ends, Ivy League selects Columbia fencer

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The NCAA announced its conference selections for the 2022 Woman of the Year award on Monday, naming Columbia University fencer Sylvie Binder as The Ivy League pick, over national champion and University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

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.

Sylvie Binder of Columbia celebrates after winning the Foil semifinals during the Division I Women's Fencing Championship at The Wolstein Center on the Cleveland State University campus on March 24, 2019, in Ohio. (Jason Miller/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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. 

LIA THOMAS’ NOMINATION FOR NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR IS A ‘SLAP TO THE FACE’ FOR FEMALE SWIMMERS: RILES GAINES

Thomas set records in the pool during the 2021-2022 college swimming season, culminating in an NCAA swimming championship in March and a major debate about transgender participation in athletics.

As the 2022 season progressed, Thomas – who started hormone replacement therapy in 2019 – shattered UPenn records in the pool, breaking the university’s school record in