Title IX complaint filed against RIT for rostering trans athlete Sadie Schreiner

CWA CEO and President Penny Nance provided a statement to Fox News Digital, elaborating on the complaint. 

"Rochester Institute of Technology continues to violate Title IX anti-discrimination rules for male and female teams by rostering a trans-identifying male on its women's track team. RIT makes the excuse it is following the NCAA's Transgender Participation Policy (TPP) but that policy is not federal law and, in fact, does not comply with Title IX. The NCAA does not have the authority to re-define the meaning of sex under federal law for participation on male and female teams," Nance said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to RIT for comment. 

"We continue to follow the NCAA participation policy for transgender student-athletes following the Trump administration's executive order. Sadie is not participating in the next meet," the spokesperson said.

The NCAA's policy also states that a biological male can still practice on a women's team and "receive benefits."

"A student-athlete assigned male at birth may practice on an NCAA women's team and receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes," the policy reads. 

President Donald Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order last week, which cuts federal funding for any institution that allows trans athletes to compete in women's sports. 

Schreiner currently holds multiple school records in women's track, including as RIT's women's indoor track record holder in the 200-, 300-, and 400-meter dashes,5 and RIT's women's outdoor record holder in the 200- and 400- meter dashes.

Schreiner has been a prominent controversial figure in women's track and field this past year, especially after an appearance at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship in May. 

Earlier that month, Schreiner competed at the Liberty League Championship and won both the women's 200- and 400-meter, breaking the 400-meter record in the process. Schreiner would have finished last by more than two seconds if the athlete had put up the same performance in the men's competition.

Recently, in late January, Schreiner bragged after winning an event against female opponents. 

"Not the race I was looking for at all this week, my spikes nearly fell off on the turn and with a poor start my time wasn't nearly what I wanted," the RIT runner wrote in an Instagram post.

"The good news is that the season just started, and I'm going to leave everything on the track at nationals," Schreiner added with a transgender pride flag emoji.

On Jan. 17, Schreiner took first place in the 200- and 400-meter dashes at the Brockport Friday Night Rust Buster, taking top spots over two female seniors. In the 200-meter dash Schreiner beat RIT teammate Caroline Hill by 1.5 seconds and took first place honors in the 400-meter dash from Brockport's Marissa Wise by nearly 3.5 seconds. Schreiner's results achieved automatic qualification for the All-Atlantic Regional Track and Field Championships.

On Jan. 24, Schreiner took first place in the 200-meter dash at the RIT Friday Meet, beating out Liberty League junior Lexi Rodriguez of Brockport with an even faster time. On Jan. 30, Schreiner took first place in the 200- and 400-meter dashes against Liberty League opponents.

"Among all the hurdles transfers usually have, there is an extra layer because it is trans, 50% of the country banned me from participating and that meant I couldn't attend any of those colleges even if they reached out to me with a full ride," Schreiner said.

"It also became clear that states that did, no matter how adamant the coaches were to have me on their teams, the college administrations would usually stop them from allowing me to participate."