Gaines competed against Thomas in the 2022 NCAA swimming and diving championships, in which Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win a national title (the women’s 500-yard freestyle). Thomas also placed fifth in the 200 freestyle, tying with Gaines.

The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams as part of an effort to resolve a federal civil rights case from 2022. The case found that the school violated the rights of female athletes after Penn swimmer Leah Thomas,