Michigan women's water polo club team under fire as trans athlete reportedly competes for squad

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A transgender athlete is reportedly set to compete in a national women’s water polo championship this weekend, which will be her second time doing so. 

The Michigan Wolverines women’s water polo club team has Alicia Paans, a 31-year-old graduate student, on its roster ahead of the 2024 National Collegiate Club Water Polo Championships. The tournament will be held at Texas A&M this upcoming weekend. 

The Wolverines’ club team will take on Texas State University in its first match on May 3. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

A general view of the game ball with "CWPA Champs 2024" during the college water polo CWPA Championship final between the Michigan Wolverines and the Princeton Tigers on April 28, 2024 at Blodgett Pool in Allston, Massachusetts. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Paans, who is also a women’s chess champion in Michigan, competed for the Wolverines in 2023 in the same tournament, which they won over the University of California-Santa Barbara. 

She was noted to have scored multiple goals in games leading up to the championship, a 17-5 win over Virginia and a 17-6 victory over Washington. 

SIX STATES SUE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER NEW TITLE IX PROTECTIONS FOR TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS' SPORTS

In January 2024, the CWPA released its transgender athlete policy, which states transgender women can participate in women’s categories. 

"Transgender athletes who identify as female are eligible to compete in both the Co-ed League and the Women’s League," the policy reads, while also needing a "letter of confirmation" to confirm gender identity as well as proof of testosterone levels below 10 nmol/L