Latest news with #NCAAWomanoftheYear
Mint
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Who is Lia Thomas? Transgender swimmer banned by University of Penn and the controversy around her
The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to block transgender athletes from participating in its women's sports teams, the US government said on Tuesday, July 1. The announcement came as the parties settled a federal civil rights case stemming from the controversy around swimmer Lia Thomas. In a statement on Tuesday, the US Department of Education said that UPenn had entered into a resolution agreement vowing to comply with Title IX, the federal law which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational program. The decision follows an investigation by the department's Office for Civil Rights that found the university of violating the Title IX by allowing transgender swimmer Thomas to compete in women's competitions in 2021-2022. Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender swimmer a Division I title (women's 500-yard freestyle) and has been criticised by President Donald Trump and Republicans in the last few years. An Austin, Texas native, Thomas graduated high school in 2017. She was initially a part of the Penn men's swimming and diving team, where she made it to three finals of 2018 Ivy League men's swimming and diving championships. These include the 500-yard, 1000, and 1650 freestyle events. The swimmer began hormone replacement therapy in 2019 and eventually came out as transgender to her coaches and team members of both men's and women's teams. In 2021, Thomas returned to the sport, this time joining the Penn women's swimming and diving team where she was in the limelight following her performance at the Zippy Invitational event. As she continued to participate on behalf of the women's team, the NCAA Board of Governors agreed to implement a 'sport-by-sport approach' in January 2022 to the participation of transgender athletes as of the 2022-23 academic year. While Thomas said her team was supportive of her participation, 16 Penn swimmers anonymously complained that she was taking away 'competitive opportunities' in events including the Ivy League championship. Thomas however won three Ivy League championship titles that allowed her to qualify for the 2022 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, where she won one title. Penn also nominated her for NCAA Woman of the Year. Following her graduation, Thomas refrained from participating in swimming meets and focussed on getting her law degree. During this time, in March 2023, the World Athletics Council announced that it was banning trans women from swimming. Lia Thomas became a lightning rod around the debate of transgender athletes in women's sport after competing in female collegiate competitions in 2022. Her participation in women's events sparked widespread outrage, with critics and some fellow swimmers saying she should not have been allowed to compete due to an unfair physiological advantage. Her supporters argued she should be allowed to compete as a woman. Trump issued an executive order in February aimed at banning transgender athletes, allowing federal agencies to halt funding to any institution that does not consider birth-assigned genders in determining sex. Under the terms of the settlement, UPenn will restore all individual swimming records and titles to female athletes affected by Thomas's participation.
Boston Globe
16-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Weston family killed in N.Y. plane crash laid to rest in funeral service
The Advertisement The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The cause of the crash has not been determined. NTSB officials said Advertisement NTSB officials said the pilot 'reported a missed approach' and asked air traffic control for a new approach plan. Traffic controllers reached out to the pilot three additional times to relay a low altitude alert, but there was no response, officials said. No distress call was made from the plane. Michael Groff was certified to pilot commercial aircraft as well as private aircraft, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Groff's family said flying was his longtime passion, learning from his father when he was 16. Groff and Saini were longtime surgeons in Boston. Groff was a top neuroscientist at Mass General Brigham until last summer when he took over as the executive medical director of neurosciences at Their children, Karenna and Jared, were accomplished student-athletes embarking on their careers. Karenna Groff was a four-year starter for MIT's soccer team and in 2022 was named NCAA Woman of the Year. While studying at MIT, she worked with Dr. Mustafa Sahin at Boston Children's Hospital, searching for a genetic understanding — and possible cures — for epilepsy. Groff followed her academic successes at MIT with admission to New York University Medical School's highly selective program for accelerated study in neuroscience. Jared Groff graduated from Swarthmore College in 2022, where he was a member of the basketball team and helped squads that won a Centennial Conference championship and reached the NCAA Division III National Championship game for the first time in program history. Before college, Groff was a 1,000-point scorer in his basketball career at Weston High School. Groff was working as a paralegal in New York and was preparing to enter law school next fall. Advertisement The family's youngest daughter, Anika, who was not on the plane, is set to graduate high school this year. Jared Groff and Alexia Couyutas Duarte were both graduates of Swarthmore College. Couyutas Duarte Family Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared Groff's partner, also graduated from Swarthmore and planned to attend Harvard Law School this fall. Couyutas Duarte began her career as a legal intake specialist at the Rian Immigrant Center in Boston and most recently worked as a paralegal in the pro bono initiative unit at MetroWest Legal Services in Framingham, Swarthmore officials said. James Santoro, Karenna Groff's boyfriend, was also a recent MIT graduate, earning a bachelor's degree in finance in 2022 and playing lacrosse. They met when they were MIT freshmen, and Santoro planned to propose to Groff this summer, according to his father, John Santoro. Santoro grew up in Tewksbury, N.J. Nick Stoico can be reached at
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Karenna Groff, NCAA Woman of the Year, Dead at 25 in Plane Crash
Karenna Groff, NCAA Woman of the Year, was among six people killed in a small plane crash in Copake, New York on other victims include her parents, her brother, his partner and Karenna's boyfriend. The National Transportation Safety Board is on site investigating. The cause of the accident could take up to two years to determine.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
3 Swarthmore College graduates killed in plane crash in Upstate New York
The Brief On Saturday, April 12, 2024, a plane headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York, crashed, killing six people. Among the six victims include three Swarthmore College graduates. SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College family is grieving the loss of three graduates after a devastating plane crash occurred in New York Saturday. Three people the president of the college calls extraordinary. The backstory Six people, all from one family, died in the plane that went down in upstate New York on Saturday. They were on their way to celebrate a birthday and Passover in the Catskills. The National Transportation Safety Board says on Saturday morning, they all headed to Westchester County Airport where they boarded a private twin-engine plane owned by Michael Groff. They were set to land at Columbia County Airport but crashed roughly 10 miles to the south. Everyone on board died, including the pilot Michael Groff and his wife Joy Saini, who were both physicians. Their daughter, Karenna Groff, an MIT soccer player, named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, her partner, James Santoro, along with Jared Groff and his partner, Alexia Duarte. Michael graduated from Swarthmore College in 1988, Jared graduated in 2022 and Alexia in 2023. Alexia is also survived by her sister, Ariana Duarte, who attends Swarthmore and was studying abroad when the plane crashed. What they're saying "Now, what we can say is weather was at that time what we consider to be deteriorating. And I mentioned the ceiling at the airport being 400 AGL—that's above ground level at 400 feet AGL for that approach at that airport. It would be the minimum for a landing under an IFR instrument flight approach," said J. Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB. "We verified that this owner and operator, and we have confirmed the owner is the same person as the operator, that this person, this owner and operator went through that training and was fully certified to be on that aircraft and flying it," Inman added. In a statement, the President of Swarthmore said, "In the face of such devastating news, we recognize and celebrate all that these extraordinary individuals meant to us, as well as support those who knew, mentored, and loved them. And they were extraordinary. On behalf of everyone at Swarthmore, our hearts go out to the families and friends of those we lost on Saturday, and to everyone affected by their tragic passing. Please join us in sending them peace and light." What's next The President also says the college will celebrate the lives of those who died in ways that their families feel are most meaningful and will share any public plans when they're available. In the meantime, the school will have resources available to help students and staff who might need help dealing with this loss. The Source The information in this story is from the National Transportation Safety Board and Swarthmore College.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Real sense of grief': Healthcare professional reflects on loss of neurosurgeon, family killed in NY plane crash
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — New details are emerging regarding the local, renowned neurosurgeon who tragically died in a plane crash in Columbia County this past weekend, along with several of his immediate family members. Dr. Michael Groff was widely known throughout the northeast for his impact in neuroscience. It was a private plane which crashed just before noon on Saturday in Copake, New York right by the Massachusetts state line. Rochester neurosurgeon among 6 killed in NY plane crash Also on board, Dr. Groff's wife, urogynecologist Dr. Joy Saini, who was well established in the Boston area, and two of their three children, Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named in 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, and Jared Groff, a 2022 graduate of Swarthmore College who worked as a paralegal along with their respective significant others. Dr. Groff was the Executive Medical Officer of Rochester Regional Health's neuroscience service line just started in the role July last year. Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer for Rochester Regional Dr. Robert Mayo describes Dr. Groff as a well-trained and very accomplished surgeon, previously serving as faculty at Harvard Medical School, and in a role of Women's Neurosurgery Spine Division & Fellowship Training program. 'He told me why he chose to come here. He was excited by the vision that Rochester Regional Health has for the opportunity to build a service line across the large footprint of the health system in ranging from Batavia to Rochester Clifton Springs, New York, and up to the north country in Saint Lawrence so he was excited about seeing the region of the size grow and scope and scale related to neurosurgery and neurosciences,' Dr. Mayo said. 'There's a real sense of grief and loss or very heartbroken by this. Our collective sympathies and condolences are extended to his family and extended family, and we have had some communication with them by phone and email.' Funeral arrangements are being made, and internally, Rochester Regional Health leadership have been conducting meetings and direct one on ones with faculty and staff impacted by this tragedy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
