A transgender swimmer from a New Jersey liberal arts college broke another women’s record after three years of competing on the men’s team.
Meghan Cortez-Fields finished the 200 IM with a time of 2:08:20, breaking program records at the NJAC championships, New Jersey’s Ramapo College announced.
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was quick to criticize the senior, who claimed that Title IX “literally means nothing.”
‘Ramapo College men’s swimmer sets another school record in women’s event. “Now tell me again about the strides women have made when society applauds a man for knocking us off our own podium,” Gaines said on X Show Friday night.
Gaines, an ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum, known for her outspoken stance against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, added: “Title IX literally means nothing right now.”
Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields finished the 200 IM with a time of 2:08:20, breaking program records at the NJAC championships.
Cortez-Fields (far left) has been in the spotlight since November 2023, for breaking her school record after transferring from the men’s team.
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was quick to criticize the senior, saying, “Title IX literally means nothing.”
Cortez-Fields was in the spotlight just a few months ago, for breaking his school record after transferring from the men’s team in November 2023.
The senior broke the Ramapo College record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57:22, earning her first place.
He also placed first in the 200-yard individual medley and second place in the 200-yard butterfly at the Cougar Splash Invitational, a two-day, six-school meet in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
The swimmer was initially congratulated on social media by her school following her victory on Saturday, but the post was deleted following a backlash led by Gaines.
Gaines said Cortez-Fields had gone from being “a mediocre swimmer to breaking records competing against women.”
“Those who choose to remain blind to the injustice of allowing mediocre male athletes to become record-breaking female athletes are either incompetent or misogynistic,” he told Fox News at the time. ‘There is no middle ground anymore.
“Women are being asked to smile, step aside and allow these men onto our teams while they strip us of opportunity, privacy and security.”
He also claimed that a tattoo on Cortez-Fields’ body, showing a naked woman with male genitalia, was evidence of a “fetishized and sexualized movement.”
“As a Christian, I believe that we are all made in the image of God, and this is a mockery,” she added.
Cortez-Fields, from College Station, Texas, had competed on the Ramapo men’s team for three seasons before moving to the women’s squad.
Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields broke the Ramapo College women’s 100-meter butterfly and took first place after transferring from the men’s team.
The chemistry major also placed first in the 200-yard individual medley and second place in the 200-yard butterfly at the Cougar Splash Invitational in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
Cortez-Fields had competed with the Ramapo men’s team for three seasons before moving to the women’s team.
After leaving, he began swimming with his chest taped, as the men’s division did not allow him to cover his upper half and he found it “very uncomfortable and a little dehumanizing” to swim without a shirt.
The chemistry student is one of Ramapo’s first openly transgender athletes and counts transgender swimmer Lia Thomas among her heroes.
NCAA swimmer Thomas has faced similar criticism after winning in the women’s divisions, despite previously competing on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team.
In March 2022, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I swimming event with a victory in the women’s 500-yard freestyle.
“I felt really bad for her because I know exactly what she was going through,” Cortez told The Ramapo News.
“Even coming into this season, I was afraid to succeed, because I don’t want what happened to her to happen to me.”
Cortez-Fields has won at least one series in three of the four so far this year.
Her victory sparked backlash from people like NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, who called the victory an “injustice.”
Cortez-Fields is one of Ramapo’s only openly trans athletes and has cited fellow trans swimmer Lia Thomas as an inspiration.
At that point she edged fellow 100-yard butterfly competitor, Jennifer Scott, into first place by 2:59 seconds.
A Ramapo spokesperson said: ‘The NCAA has a Transgender Student Participation Policy and, as an affiliate member of the NCAA, Ramapo College complies with all NCAA policies.
‘Meghan received approval from the NCAA for meeting the requirements to swim on the women’s team.
‘Ramapo College supports all of its students and student-athletes. “We are deeply concerned about the threatening messages and misinformation being shared on social media that affect not only Meghan, but also her teammates and classmates.”
‘The original Instagram post on the RCNJ swimming account received numerous positive and congratulatory comments as soon as the post was made. The tone changed overnight to threatening and vulgar comments, at which point the account manager, a fellow team member, deleted the post to protect Meghan, the team and other members of the Ramapo community.