At Saturday's swimming meet, a Yale transgender swimmer who stole the spotlight from Ivy League rival Lia Thomas held off finishing his transition from female to male to finish his college career on the women's team.
Iszac Henig, a 20-year-old California native, competed in three events at the meet between Yale, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, prevailing in all three - including two head-to-head showdowns with Thomas.
Thomas had contended on the UPenn men's team for three years before transitioning and entering the women's team this year, igniting controversy after she smashed long-standing records.
Henig has been a member of Yale's women's team for three years and chose to delay taking hormones for his transition, making him suitable to stay on the squad. He came out to coaches and teammates in April 2021.
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"As a student-athlete, coming out as a trans guy put me in a weird position. I could start hormones to align more with myself, or wait, transition socially, and keep competing on a women's swim team. I decided on the latter," he announced in an opinion piece published in the New York Times in July.
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"I value my contributions to the team and recognize that my boyhood doesn't hinge on whether there's more or less testosterone running through my veins. At least, that's what I'll try to remember when I put on the women's swimsuit for the competition and am reminded of a self I no longer feel attached to."
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Henig did have his breasts taken off and revealed his chest after pulling down the top of his swimsuit after one of his victories - stunning already shell-shocked UPenn parents attending their kids' last home meet of what has been a rough season.
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"I wasn't prepared for that. Everything is messed up. I can't wrap my head around this. The NCAA needs to do something about this. They need to put science into the decision and discussion," a UPenn parent, who wanted to stay anonymous, said.
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Another parent announced: "A man just crushed the women's team."
Henig beat Thomas in the 100-yard freestyle, ending with a time of 49.57, more than three seconds ahead of Thomas, who finished sixth with a time of 52.84.
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He then powered Yale's 400-yard freestyle relay to victory, swimming his leg in 50.45 seconds while Thomas finished his leg in 51.94.
Henig furthermore won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.76 seconds, barely missing smashing his personal best for the event of 22.59.
The two could meet again at the Ivy League championships next month, yet the pandemic canceled the 2020-21 season.
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