Image courtesy of Ted Eytan via NEPM.webp
By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Managing Editor of Content
Content Warning: This article discusses transphobia.
Transgender women can no longer compete on collegiate women’s sports teams, including varsity teams at Mount Holyoke College, due to a new trans participation policy from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The rule, which the NCAA announced on Feb. 6, bars student-athletes “assigned male at birth” from competing on NCAA women’s teams, but allows them to continue practicing on women’s teams and to “receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes.”
The NCAA policy was announced just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that banned trans women from competing on teams that match their gender identity. In a press release on their website, NCAA President Charlie Baker said that Trump’s order “provides a clear, national standard” which brings “much needed clarity” to collegiate sports.
As an NCAA Division III institution, the College is required to abide by all regulations set forth by the NCAA, according to the NCAA Division III 2024-25 Manual. Following the issuance of the regulation, Mount Holyoke Athletics quietly altered its Transgender Inclusion Policies web page to align with the NCAA policy.
The NCAA’s trans participation policy has changed multiple times within the last 15 years. A 2010 policy required trans women to undergo one calendar year of testosterone suppression in order to compete on a women’s team in any collegiate sport. As previously reported by Mount Holyoke News, the NCAA eliminated this policy in 2022 following the highly successful season of University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, whose athletic performance and identity as a trans woman sparked widespread debates about trans inclusion in women’s sports. In response, the NCAA adopted a sport-specific policy, mandating that trans student-athletes should comply with eligibility criteria set forth by their sport’s national governing bodies, not the NCAA itself.
The latest iteration of the NCAA policy, however, has effectively banned trans women from competing on collegiate women’s teams across the board. It also stipulates that student athletes “assigned female at birth” who have started hormone therapy, such as testosterone, are ineligible to compete on a women’s team, but may continue practicing with a women’s team and receiving benefits. However, any student athlete, regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth, may compete and practice on a men’s team.
Prior to the announcement of the NCAA’s ban, the Mount Holyoke Athletics web page listed two parameters for trans inclusion: one, “a student-athlete who is not taking medically prescribed testosterone may participate on a women’s team,” and two, “a student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication related to gender transition may compete on a women’s team after completing one calendar year of medically documented testosterone suppression.”
However, it is likely that the web page was outdated. After 2022, Mount Holyoke Athletics most likely complied with the sport-specific policy given the timeline of the NCAA’s policy changes and NCAA compliance rules. Mount Holyoke News contacted Director of Athletics Andrea Ricketts-Preston with a series of questions about Mount Holyoke Athletics’ trans inclusion policy, including a question to clarify Mount Holyoke Athletics’ previous trans inclusion policy, but did not receive a response.
Now, the Mount Holyoke Athletics trans inclusion web page features only the first parameter and contains a link to the updated NCAA policy. The second parameter has been deleted.
According to the web page, nine of Mount Holyoke’s 10 varsity teams must adhere to the rule because they are NCAA-sponsored sports. The remaining varsity sport, hunt seat equestrian, allows student-athletes of any gender identity to compete on the team because it is governed not by the NCAA but by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, which sponsors co-ed competition.
Most Mount Holyoke club sports follow rules set forth by their sports’ national governing bodies rather than NCAA regulations. However, fencing and ultimate frisbee follow NCAA guidelines, the web page states.
In the wake of the new policy, other colleges’ athletics programs have also been retracting their trans inclusion policies. The Wellesley News reported that fellow Seven Sisters institution Wellesley College deleted its trans inclusion policy from its athletics website in its entirety. Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania also dropped their trans inclusion policies from their athletics websites. Higher Ed Dive reported that as of Feb. 6, the U.S. Department of Education is investigating the University of Pennsylvania and San José State University for alleged Title IX violations for allowing trans women to compete on women’s teams.
At the time of publication, in the first two months of 2025, over 550 bills have been introduced across the United States that target trans people, according to the independent research organization Trans Legislation Tracker. This is a rapid increase in legislative action compared to 2024, which saw 674 anti-trans bills introduced and 50 passed throughout the entire year. As of Feb. 20, of the bills introduced in 2025, eight have passed, 22 have failed and 521 remain active; seventy-six of these bills target trans inclusion in K-12 athletics.
In a comment emailed to Mount Holyoke News, Mount Holyoke College President Danielle R. Holley expressed disappointment with the NCAA’s new policy, but confirmed that Mount Holyoke Athletics will comply.
“I deeply disagree with the decision by the NCAA; it is out of step with Mount Holyoke College’s vision, mission and institutional values. I stand with such renowned athletes as Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and countless others in calling for an end to discrimination in athletics,” Holley said in the comment.
Holley continued, “Mount Holyoke College’s varsity sports teams will reluctantly comply with the recent NCAA participation guidelines that we are required to adhere to: thus, a student-athlete who was assigned male at birth can no longer compete in women’s NCAA sports. However, transgender student-athletes can still practice with their varsity teams.”
“No current varsity athletes’ statuses are directly affected by this new rule; the College is monitoring any changes in regulations that would apply to club sports. Any links to previous NCAA guidelines are superseded by the February 2025 change,” Holley continued, referring to links on the Mount Holyoke Athletics trans inclusion web page.
“The College is committed to providing an inclusive and safe athletic experience for all of our students within the rules of the NCAA, IHSA, [New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference] and the club sport organizations that oversee our sponsored club sports,” Holley concluded.
Mount Holyoke News requested an interview with Director of Athletics Ricketts-Preston through Director of Public Affairs and Media Relations Christian Feuerstein, but was informed that Ricketts-Preston was unavailable for comment. Mount Holyoke News also requested an interview with Executive Director of Community and Belonging Latrina L. Denson, who serves as Mount Holyoke Athletics’ NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Designee; Denson said she was unavailable for comment.
Leah Dutcher ’28 contributed fact-checking.