CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA: Kylee Alons, a champion college swimmer, disclosed that she and her teammates resorted to hiding in a closet at the 2022 NCAA Championships to avoid trans athlete Lia Thomas. Alons expressed her discomfort and criticized the event organizers for allowing Thomas to enter the female changing rooms, which she believed needlessly put women in an uncomfortable situation.
Alons described feeling that the changing room was no longer a secure and private space for female athletes. "Not only was he advantaged against us, he was stronger, bigger, and stole titles from some of these women, but he was also creating a very uncomfortable environment in the locker room," she told Daily Mail. "I tried to keep myself mostly covered just in case he walked in... I ended up changing in a storage closet that was behind our team's bleachers," she said, adding that she was "not the only one" who resorted to hiding.
Who is Kylee Alons?
Kylee Alons is a competitive swimmer who has achieved significant success in the sport. She was born on August 29, 1998, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Alons swims for North Carolina State University (NCSU) and is considered one of the most accomplished swimmers in the university's history. Alons has achieved numerous accolades and set multiple records. She earned All-American honors multiple times and won several Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles. She specializes in sprint freestyle and butterfly events.
Kylee Alons met with Rep Greg Steube to discuss the issue
Alons had a meeting with Representative Greg Steube, during which she discussed her experience at the 2022 Championships. She explained that she made the choice to change in a nearby storage closet rather than sharing a locker room with Lia Thomas. "Today I met with Kylee, the most decorated swimmer in NC State history. She told me how she changed in a storage closet at the NCAA finals rather than experience the sexual harassment that comes with undressing in front of Will 'Lia' Thomas – a biological male who insisted on being in the female locker room," Steube tweeted after the meeting.
According to Alons, the debates surrounding the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's swimming had already been frustrating before Thomas' victory at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Prior to transitioning, Thomas was ranked relatively low among male American college swimmers. However, Alons expressed surprise when Thomas, who was previously unknown to her and her teammates, suddenly achieved impressive times after transitioning.
Despite the controversy, Thomas was permitted to compete in the women's division and use the female changing rooms at the NCAA Championships. Thomas went on to win the 500m freestyle race at the event, which further intensified the discussions and backlash surrounding transgender athletes' participation in women's sports.