Former Upenn Swimmer Reflects On Being Teammates With Lia Thomas Amid Trump Admin Victory Over University

Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Monika Burzynska said she was assigned nan locker adjacent to Lia Thomas erstwhile nan transgender jock joined nan women's aquatics squad successful 2021. Burzynska antecedently knew nan jock arsenic Will Thomas, a personnel of nan men's swimming squad astatine UPenn. 

"He wasn't very social," Burzynska told Fox News Digital, adding she had only ever had short, passing conversations with Thomas. 

She thought Thomas had already graduated erstwhile her squad was dealt nan news that nan jock would beryllium transitioning to subordinate nan women's squad starting successful nan 2021-22 season. 

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University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas poses pinch teammates Hannah Kannan, Camryn Carter and Margot Kaczorowski aft winning nan 400-yard freestyle relay during nan Ivy League Womens Swimming and Diving Championships connected Feb. 19, 2022, successful Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

When that play yet began, and Thomas became a fixture successful nan women's locker room, Burzynska often retreated to nan area of nan room to change. Other times, Burzynska timed precisely erstwhile she changed to coincide pinch erstwhile Thomas showered. Eventually, Burzynska opted to only alteration successful nan stalls aliases successful nan family locker crossed nan hall. 

"Around Lia, I wasn't going to consequence anything," Burzynska said, regarding nan anticipation of nan trans jock seeing her undress.

Burzynska has ne'er spoken retired astir her acquisition of being connected a squad pinch Thomas until now, amid nan caller news that UPenn agreed to apologize to each nan female swimmers, rescind Thomas' programme records, and adopt a caller argumentation that applies strict biologic definitions for males and females.

She said nan news gave her "a heavy consciousness of bid and validation." 

"Not only for me, but for each nan girls connected nan team, for each nan girls successful nan aquatics world and successful nan athletics world. And I deliberation this decision, it brought backmost – astatine slightest for maine – a consciousness of fairness that had been lost," Burzynska said. "Women's records beryllium to women and that protecting nan integrity of women's sports still matters."

Still, nan memories of what Burzynska and others had to strengthen lingers. 

Burzynska identifies arsenic personification pinch blimpish values, but says she grew up emotion "compassion" for transgender people. Her views changed erstwhile she was placed adjacent to Thomas successful nan locker room. 

"I thought it must beryllium unspeakable to consciousness for illustration you're trapped successful nan incorrect body. Just beryllium truthful retired of touch pinch who you really are," Burzynska said. "You person these issues that are from afar and you ne'er really rather deliberation they're going to touch you personally until you're connected a squad pinch Lia Thomas and your locker is straight adjacent to this biologic male. And you would person ne'er believed that you'd beryllium facing this rumor directly.

"And past erstwhile that happens, your views alteration wherever you still consciousness sorry for this personification because they're intelligibly truthful profoundly lost. But past it turns into more, ‘OK, this is not fair,’" Burzynska added. 

As a autochthonal of Colonia, New Jersey, Burzynska explained that she grew up successful a wide situation pinch salient pro-LGBTQ sentiment. Those values followed her erstwhile she went to UPenn successful nan heavy bluish metropolis of Philadelphia. 

"We person a very, very, really should I telephone it, for illustration heavy LGBTQ beingness connected field wherever nan field buildings aliases nan dormitories, alternatively than flying nan U.S. flag, nan trans flag, nan LGBTQ emblem [were flown]. Whenever I sojourn Penn, I spot it's for illustration this immense skyscraper dorm, and they person nan biggest rainbow emblem you could imagine," Burzynska said. 

"So I guess, successful a sense, you could opportunity it encourages it if a personification is very confused astir their identity, and past there's this group that seems truthful accepting, truthful loving, telling you could beryllium immoderate you want to be… that mightiness benignant of, yeah, promote group to move that way."

Burzynska, and nan different female swimmers connected nan squad astatine nan time, were allegedly coerced into soundlessness and submission by UPenn administrators. 

A lawsuit by 3 different erstwhile Thomas teammates, Grace, Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, alleged that assemblage officials pressured them not to speak retired astir their thoughts connected Thomas joining nan squad publicly. 

"The UPenn administrators went connected to show nan women that if nan women said publically astir their concerns astir Thomas’ information connected nan Women’s Team, nan estimation of those complaining astir Thomas being connected nan squad would beryllium tainted pinch transphobia for nan remainder of their lives and they would astir apt ne'er beryllium capable to get a job,’" nan suit alleged.

UPENN AGREES TO FOLLOW TRUMP'S MANDATE ON PROTECTING WOMEN'S SPORTS AFTER LIA THOMAS INVESTIGATION

Former UPenn women's swimmer Monika Burzynska (Courtesy of Monika Burzynska)

Burzynska, having grown up successful a wide New Jersey town, was already accustomed to nan consequences of sharing blimpish values successful a wide setting. 

Burzynska recalls, from a young age, often being criticized for having "conservative aliases Republican values." 

"I had been experiencing that forever. And moreover UPenn, I deliberation it's each assemblage astatine this point, but UPenn is very, very left-leaning. And truthful I was benignant of fresh to clasp that, that my views wouldn't beryllium welcomed because, yeah, I've been blimpish astir of my life. My beliefs are grounded successful faith." 

Burzynska recalls a futile speech she had pinch her caput coach, Mike Schnur, erstwhile she confronted him pinch concerns astir being connected a squad pinch Thomas. 

"We had this agelong meeting, I don't know, almost 2 hours long. And he said, 'Listen, Monika, I understand each your concerns. They're each valid. I don't deliberation immoderate of them would deter you from continuing onto your elder twelvemonth and having a successful elder year. I deliberation nan 1 point that would deter you is that Lia is changing successful your locker room and there's thing you could do astir it,'" Burzynska said. 

"I told him successful that meeting, ‘What are you talking about? Like, really is this fair?’ And his consequence was, 'It's not fair, but if you person immoderate issues pinch it, travel to me… Don't talk astir it pinch everyone else. Come to me. We'll talk done it'" 

Burzynska said she ne'er took Schnur up connected that offer, believing that he wouldn't do thing astir it anyway. 

Still, she alleges she witnessed her teammates having those futile conversations pinch Schnur, from a distance.

Then came nan administrators that allegedly pressured nan women's swimmers who objected to Thomas to spell to pro-LGBTQ counseling. Burzynska said she called nan counseling convention "brainwashing meetings." 

She ne'er attended nan sessions. 

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Burzynska has since moved connected from nan business and has embraced her life and profession beyond it.

Still, she admits that parts of nan business instilled "trauma" successful her, and she is grateful that President Donald Trump's management made it a privilege to instill consequences connected UPenn. 

"Those [women's] authorities astatine Penn were intelligibly compromised truthful it's astonishing that they looked into it and Trump took it truthful seriously," Burzynska said. 

Fox News Digital has reached retired to UPenn for a consequence to Burzynska's statements. 

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