Minna Svard was the first woman to lose an NCAA National Championship to a male

She'd like her title back

“Cece won by almost two seconds, which is a lot in 400 hurdles. We weren't even in the picture frame when Cece crossed the finish line. For women, the race was for second place.” Minna Svard crossed the finish line second in the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship 400 meter hurdle race. But she was the first female.

“On the podium, I shook [Cece] Telfer’s hand. I didn't want to do it, but I didn't want to create an issue, so I did it very unwillingly. Honestly, I was so shocked that this was even happening. I was in disbelief. When I stepped up on that podium, people were screaming that I was the national champion—not a lot of people, but I heard them. I put a smile on my face and let the time pass.”

Svard paused. Putting a smile on her face and letting the time pass. Just wanting it to be over. That’s what women do in the moment that their rights are being violated. Whether it’s men in women’s sports, men in women’s locker rooms, men taking women’s awards, men assaulting women—women are so shocked that society has betrayed them, that they are powerless, that their pain is collateral damage to men’s feelings, they just smile and try to let the time pass.

She continued, “That's sad. If I was second to a biological female, second in the nation in American athletics, I would be so proud of that. Instead, I was standing there wanting it to end.”

Minna Svard started running track at four years old in Sweden, “jumping on the train” her older sister had started. In high school, she won the Nordic Baltic championship in the 400-meter hurdles, competed in the junior European championship in 400-meter hurdles, and ran in the semifinals there. In Sweden, athletics are a club sport, not associated with schools. At Texas A & M Commerce, she competed in the 400-meter hurdles, 4 x 400 relay, 400-meters, and pole vault, often in multiple events at the same meet. Robbed of the National Championship in 2019, she continued to work hard and improve, and in 2022, won that title at 400-meter hurdles and was part of the third-place 4x400 meter relay team (see photo above). Svard earned her undergraduate degree in 2021, and her Master’s in 2023.

Cece (Craig) Telfer was recruited and ran for Franklin Pierce University’s men’s track team for three years, where he competed without distinction in the 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, and flat 400-meters. Telfer matriculated at Franklin Pierce, a DII university in New Hampshire, in 2014, took the year from January 2018 to January 2019 off from track during which time he officially came out as a “trans woman” and reportedly accomplished the year of testosterone suppression the NCAA requires for males to be eligible to compete on a female team. I say reportedly because the NCAA, at that time, had no published limit for testosterone—T just had to be “suppressed”— and no protocol for monitoring testosterone levels—who administers the tests, who manages this information, on what schedule these tests are to be done. None of that. In May of 2019, his first season on the women’s team, Telfer became the first trans-identified male in the U.S. to win a women’s national championship. No trans-identified females have even qualified for a national competition in men’s sports.

LetsRun noted that Telfer’s best performance at 400-meter hurdles “as a woman,” 57.53 seconds, was only marginally slower than his best performance on the men’s team, 57.34, not even close to the well documented 12% performance gap between males and females. Women’s hurdles are 9” lower than men’s hurdles to account for the fact that women are, on average, shorter than men. Telfer is 6’2”. A lower hurdle is literally less of an obstacle to overcome for a 6’2” male—it requires less effort.

Svard recently wrote an opinion letter in the Wall Street Journal in which she asked for her title, taken by a male, facilitated by and with the full approval of the NCAA, to be returned to her.

She spoke in detail about that 2019 National Championship race from her home in Sweden.

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The Female Category: How did you come to be at East Texas A & M University, which, when you were attending, was Texas A & M Commerce?

Minna Svard: I talked to a number of coaches in the U.S., and I genuinely felt like Coach [George] Pincock was interested in getting to know me as a person. It was important, when I moved so far away, to have a coach that I trusted. We had multiple Skype conversations, he took his time to get to know me. I felt safe in making that big move. I started there in 2017, right after I graduated from high school.

TFC: What did you know of trans-identified males in women’s sports before coming to the U.S.? And before the DII National Championship in 2019?

MS: Nothing. I’d never heard of this happening in Sweden at all. And even once I got to the U.S., I didn’t hear anything. [trans-identified male high schoolers Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller won state titles in Connecticut 2017-2019, but media exposure was very limited. Swimmer Lia Thomas didn’t win a championship until 2022]. It wasn’t in the news, no one was talking about men in women’s sports.

TFC: Were you aware before the National Championship meet in 2019 that Cece Telfer was male?

MS: I had never competed against Cece prior to Nationals, but I had heard about Cece a couple weeks prior to the meet. My teammates were talking about it, saying one of the people in my race was a man. I tried to focus on myself. The only thing I can do is to prepare myself, my performance, not worry about someone else. It was hard, but as an athlete you have to learn how to cancel out noise and focus on what's important.

TFC: How did you qualify for Nationals? Were there prelims, semis, and finals?

MS: I think they took the top 18 [400-meter hurdle] times in the country. There were just prelims and the final. I didn’t race against Telfer in the prelims; we were in different heats. The first time was in the finals.

TFC: Did other women acknowledge that Telfer was male? Did your coach say anything before the race?

MS: I didn't speak to a lot of girls in my event; I tried to focus on what I needed to do. There was tension in the air, it was very obvious. I heard other people at the meet saying there was a man in the women’s 400 hurdles. They were questioning how it was allowed. It was not very loud, but they were talking.

TFC: I think there had been some males in women’s sports in the NCAA before 2019 but they didn’t garner much attention because they weren’t very competitive; they didn’t place in meets or qualify for Nationals. They just participated.

MS: It makes no difference if they flew under the radar—they still took away a spot from a woman. They still took a woman’s scholarship.

TFC: Back to the race—did your coach say anything about Telfer before the race?

MS: My coach was great during this time. He supported me a lot. I was nervous but he kept my mind straight, just focusing on performing at my best. I had no doubt in my mind, no matter who else was in the race, I was good enough to stand on that first spot. We focused on the right things, all the small pieces, to be ready. We did not talk about him [Telfer] at all.

I first saw Cece in the call tent where we put on our spikes before the final. I was trying to focus on myself but it was pretty hard because when Cece stood up, his hips were way above my own [Telfer is 6’2”; Svard is 5’5”]. His shoulders were really wide. We just weren't built in the same way. It was hard to keep my focus as we walked out on the track. I kept telling myself You got this, you're prepared. We went down in the blocks, the gun went off, and the race was Cece’s. We didn’t stand a chance. The conditions were not ideal; it was very windy. All of us had a hard time because, in hurdles, when it’s windy, it throws your steps off. All the other women were struggling. Cece floated through it. The difference is strength. I think he ran his season best in that race [even in windy conditions, Telfer set his “women’s” PR in that race, 57.53]. My time was 59:21, which, in those conditions, was decent. I was not ranked to place second, so that was a good performance for me.

Cece won by almost two seconds, which is a lot. We weren't even in the picture frame when Cece crossed the finish line. For women, the race was for second place.

I didn't congratulate him on the track. I wiped the tears off my face, smiled, and walked away. On the podium, I shook Telfer’s hand. I didn't want to but I didn't want to create an issue, so I did it very unwillingly. I was honestly so shocked that this was even happening. I was in a daze. I was in disbelief. When I stepped up on that podium, people were screaming that I was the national champion. Not a lot of people, but I heard them. I put a smile on my face and let the time pass. That's sad. If I was beaten by a biological female and I was second in the nation in American athletics, I would be so proud of that. Instead, I was standing there wanting it to end.

After the race, I got the question, how does it feel to have lost to a transgender athlete? I was in a daze and I just wanted to get out of there before I expressed something that was not allowed. I said I didn't think placing second at a national championship was losing, and that I didn’t want to comment on any other athletes’ performance. And then I went to my dad and was just crying.

TFC: When you say you didn’t want to express something that wasn’t allowed, were you told by your coach or your university or the NCAA what you could or could not say?

MS: I can’t speak of what they told my coach or my school. I remember they [meet officials] just told all the athletes to show sportsmanship and be inclusive.

I had so many different emotions in that one moment. My parents had traveled all the way there to support me. I left my family, my home, my culture for this. Is this worth it? Do I want to be a part of this? At the same time, I loved my coach and my teammates. It was hard to say anything, I had so many emotions.

TFC: You must have felt so alone. This had never happened before. Lia Thomas hadn’t come along yet. There were no women speaking out about it.

MS: That’s one of the main reasons I was scared to bring it forward or say anything. I was alone. America can be cruel. I felt very small already, being an international athlete, and I didn’t know exactly what could happen. I felt very small.

TFC: Did you feel betrayed by the NCAA?

MS: Absolutely! They’re supposed to support and protect female athletes. Allowing this to happen—I don't see how they could do that. Without athletes, what would they even be? For them to not protect athletes is mindblowing to me.

TFC: You waited about a year and then posted on Instagram, “I am the 2019 NCAA DII 400mh Champion. 🏅 The fastest (biological born) female in the race.” Why did you post that, and why a year later?

MS: Right afterward, I was still in disbelief that the NCAA even allowed it to happen. I was thinking of how, at the meet, they kept saying that we needed to show sportsmanship and be inclusive. Was it poor sportsmanship to speak up about this? I didn't take a stand right away because I thought, if my university didn't say anything, will they support me if I say something? If I say something, will my school or my coach or teammates be punished? That’s the last thing I wanted.

It took me a year to be brave enough to speak about my feelings. I thought, what are they [NCAA] really going to do—suspend me? Take away my scholarship? I was so angry, I was more willing to risk it.

TFC: What was the reaction to your post?

MS: Not too great. Cece screenshotted my post and tagged me, and 550 hate comments dropped down on the post overnight. They called me a transphobe, racist, bigot, homophobe. I got direct messages with threats, harassing me, threatening me. I never took it down, it was still something I stood by, but I didn't feel safe enough to continue speaking up about it. This was in 2020— ICONS wasn't a thing, it hadn't happened to Riley Gaines yet, and the NCAA managed to keep this [a trans-identified male winning a women’s national championship] very quiet. Maybe because it was Division II, not the highest level, it wasn’t in the news. [Running website LetsRun published an article about Telfer’s win, but it was not reported in any major media.]

TFC: Why do you think you got that kind of response to your post?

MS: I think because he tagged me, people in Cece’s community thought I was a horrible person. And since there weren’t many instances before this, people hadn't seen the damage this does. It was so new—really the first time a male had won a women’s championship—I don't think people understood what difference it makes. Now it’s gone to Olympic boxing, and women had to take physical damage, not just emotional—I think that’s woken a lot of people up. If they [NCAA] would have just listened from the beginning, if they had faced the fact that they made a horrible business decision, maybe we wouldn't be here.

TFC: Do you think the view of men in women's sports has changed from 2019 to now?

MS: I think it has changed. More people are invested in what is going on. They’ve faced the reality of seeing women being erased from our own category. Trans athletes are erasing our records. Some of those records might be untouchable, women might not be able to produce that time. That’s the reason there are female and male categories. That’s the reason doping is illegal. News of people speaking out about it [males in women’s sports] is reaching me all the way in Sweden.

TFC: Have there been instances of males in women’s sports in Sweden?

MS: I can't speak for other people here, but to my knowledge, it hasn't happened here. I’m not aware of any instances. For the most part, people here want people to live as they feel. I’m not even sure of the policy about sports or bathroom and change room use.

[As an aside, Sweden’s laissez faire society would seem to be fertile ground for males self-IDing into women’s sports and spaces, but, I thought, maybe the same attitude means women just don’t care if men choose to compete in women’s sports. But Minna certainly cares, and having been on several national level teams, is in a position to know if men are competing in women’s sports. And they aren’t, as far as I can tell from internet sources. Everything I could find online regarding Sweden’s Sports Confederation’s policy on eligibility for the female category indicates they recognize gender identity and emphasize inclusivity. The Sports Confederation is informed by Sweden’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, almost word-for-word the type of information the NCAA used to allow Telfer to compete in women’s track. And yet, Sweden has had no instances of males in female sports at the national level. I did find a two-year-old Reddit thread started by a Swedish trans-identified male who was running road races in the female category.]

TFC: What do you think of the NCAA's recent "birth certificate sex" policy?

MS: I think it’s a cowardly way to try to work their way out of this issue without dealing with it. They need to face reality, that they have made a horrible business decision. They need to rewrite it, and follow Title IX, and enforce a screening process to ensure athletes in women’s sports are, in fact, females.

TFC: Why did you decide to write the opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal? Were you motivated by the recent Executive Orders banning males from female sports?

MS: I wanted my story to be heard, not just for me, but for upcoming female athletes, so they have the opportunity to get a scholarship, and get an education. There’s a lawsuit [brought by female athletes] against the NCAA that's going on—I wanted to support them. There are so many things going on, I thought it was time to act, to stand for fairness for women’s sports. Right now, that's not what we’re receiving. I wouldn't say Trump’s Executive Orders were the main reason for writing the letter, which I’m really surprised was published at all! Getting in contact with ICONS, the fact that he [Trump] did push that through, the NCAA policy that was done to look good to the public but that actually has loopholes all over it—all of that motivated me to write the letter.

TFC: Have you gotten a response from the NCAA?

MS: [laughs] No. But a lot of people have reached out saying they’re happy I spoke out, that it’s good to set the record straight, that there will be justice for females. The response was very positive. Which is a nice change from the last time [her 2020 Instagram post].

TFC: Every day, I read comments about boys in girls’ sports that say girls should just refuse to compete. What do you think of that?

MS: I don’t think people understand what's at stake for not running that race. Scholarships, for one thing. School in America is expensive. A scholarship is everything. To not run these races and risk losing your scholarship, that might not be an option. Also, I don't think women should have to not participate in their own sports because men are in their space. And making that decision is a lot to put on high schoolers.

TFC: How might women’s sports for women actually happen?

MS: Honestly, I'm not sure. I lost my faith in the NCAA years ago. We can only keep fighting for what we believe in.