Transgender track star from N.J. takes legal action over alleged ban

A transgender sprinter is suing SUNY Geneseo and the NCAA, claiming she was wrongly barred from women’s races at a March track meet.

The runner, Sadie Schreiner of Hillsborough, N.J., says she qualified for the 200- and 400-meter events at the Geneseo Early Invitational but was barred from competing even though she met the entry standards, according to a lawsuit obtained by The Athletic. Schreiner, who is on the 2024-25 roster at Division III Rochester Institute of Technology, argues her exclusion reflects broader discrimination against transgender athletes in collegiate sports.

“SUNY Geneseo is a member institution of the NCAA, and we adhere to the NCAA’s policy,” a SUNY Geneseo spokesperson said, via The Athletic. “We will not comment further due to pending litigation.”

The lawsuit comes more than five months after the NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth. That change came a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.

Previously, Schreiner had sued Princeton University, claiming she was illegally removed shortly before her race in a school-hosted track meet in May due to her gender identity.

“Princeton follows NCAA rules and policies for determining who is eligible for varsity athletic events, which is what we did in this case,” a Princeton University spokesperson said, via The Athletic.

Schreiner is a two-time All-American in 2023–24. She finished third in the 200 meters and eighth in the 400 at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and holds multiple school records in the 200, 300 and 400 meters. Schreiner has also become a notable voice in the debate over transgender women’s participation in women’s sports.

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