Lia Thomas' nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year is a 'slap to the face' for female swimmers: Riley Gaines

Former superstar swimmer for Kentucky says the University of Pennsylvania's nomination of Thomas for NCAA Woman of the Year is 'incredibly insulting' on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'

Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines decried the University of Pennsylvania’s decision to nominate Lia Thomas for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award Monday, calling the move a "slap to the face" for female athletes and competitors.

Thomas became the first transgender woman to win titles at the Ivy League and NCAA championships, reigniting the debate over whether transgender women should be permitted to compete in sports against biological women.

In an appearance on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Gaines, who was also nominated for the award by the University of Kentucky, said the NCAA is making a "mockery" of female competitors by awarding the highly sought-after Woman of the Year award to "someone who spent 95% of their life as a male."

University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18th, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"It's a mockery and that’s what this whole thing has turned into," the former star swimmer said. "Something we as female athletes dedicated our whole lives to, is something that people are laughing at. It’s an insult, it's incredibly disheartening and quite frankly, it’s wrong."

 "That’s what we’re doing at this point, is laughing at women," she added.

LIA THOMAS NOMINATED BY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA FOR NCAA 'WOMAN OF THE YEAR' AWARD

Gaines won three individual conference titles in the SEC, broke two SEC records,