The student-athlete in question is permitted to be on the roster and take part in open-gender competition and practices under those regulations.
Because there isn’t a third varsity rowing event at the NCAA championships, the coaching staff misunderstood what an official NCAA event was this past weekend. At five feet ten inches, Gattone is a sophomore studying environmental science at Ithaca.
She helped the Bombers win the Liberty League women’s rowing title for the sixth time in a row last season while rowing in the Novice 8+ boat. After winning the two-boat final by an overwhelming 37 seconds, their boat was also voted the LL Women’s Rowing Novice Crew of the Year.
At the New York State Championships, Gattone’s boat beat Army by two seconds and took first place among rookie boats.
On February 6, the NCAA modified its participation regulation in response to Trump’s executive order, restricting participation in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth alone.
The modification went into effect right away and is applicable to all athletes, regardless of their prior eligibility reviews. The NCAA is by far the biggest collegiate athletics regulating body in the United States, with 1,100 member schools and over 500,000 athletes.
