Riley Gaines, former Kentucky swimming star, slams nomination of Lia Thomas for NCAA Woman of the Year

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Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines slammed the University of Pennsylvania’s decision to nominate Lia Thomas for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award Friday.

Thomas, who is transgender, became the first trans woman to win titles at the Ivy League and NCAA championships. 

But her prowess in the pool ignited a hotly contested debate over whether transgender woman should be permitted to compete in sports against biological women.

Gaines tweeted her opinion, saying the NCAA is making the highest award in collegiate athletics "worthless."

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Lia Thomas after winning the 500-yard freestyle during the 2022 NCAA Division I women's swimming and diving championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology March 17, 2022, in Atlanta. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

"Being the real girl in that photo and also University of Kentucky's nominee for NCAA WOTY, this is yet another slap in the face to women. First a female national title and now nominated for the pinnacle award in collegiate athletics," she wrote in a tweet response to Outkick founder Clay Travis. "The @NCAA has made this award worthless.

"This award combines athletic performance with academics, service, and character. What character has Thomas shown other than sheer selfishness and entitlement? The disrespect and disregard for the other female athletes in Thomas' interviews is eye opening."

Gaines was also nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year by the University of Kentucky after she finished her career in the pool. She won three individual conference titles in the SEC, broke two SEC records, had 12 All-America awards and graduated with