Sprinter sues SUNY Geneseo staff and the NCAA after being barred from competition
Photo courtesy of Editor-in-Chief Nathaniel D’Amato
On Sept. 19, 2025, Sadie Schreiner sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as well as SUNY Geneseo’s Head Track and Field/Assistant Cross Country Coach, Christopher Popovici, and the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, Dani Drews, alleging the three parties worked together to illegally bar Schreiner from competing. This lawsuit comes, much like another brought to Princeton University by Schreiner, after the implicated parties denied the sprinter from participation in events due to her gender identity—having transitioned in High School, as the e-filing states.
According to Schreiner’s e-filing, “Despite acknowledging that state law supersedes the NCAA Trans Ban, the NCAA continued to compel SUNY Geneseo to break state law and exclude Sadie Schreiner from competing in women’s events.” This statement is followed by another noting that “The Geneseo Early Invitational is open to members of the public to participate, so long as their times qualify for the competition.” This continued, “Chris Popovici responded that Sadie is prohibited to run as a woman,” explaining “that this was the directive he received from the NCAA” and that “if SUNY Geneseo did not follow the NCAA’s directive, it ‘opens the meet up or event up to being invalidated for all the competitors.’”
When asked for comment on the matter, SUNY Geneseo’s chief communications and marketing officer, Kerri Howwel, responded over email, stating, “SUNY Geneseo is a member institution of the NCAA, and we adhere to the NCAA’s policy. We will not comment further due to pending litigation.”
Schreiner’s e-filing was made on the basis of a potential violation of state law to adhere to NCAA and federal policy. The NCAA’s website states that following an executive order passed by President Donald Trump, all those within the organization's athletics are to participate in sporting events only under their birth-assigned gender. The policy specifies that “If competition occurs, the team will be considered a mixed team and not eligible to compete against women’s teams. This also applies to a student-athlete assigned male at birth competing as an individual against women. Such individual competition is not permitted under the policy. Any previous policies that permitted mixed team competition against a women’s team are rendered moot and not applicable as the BOG [Board of Governors] policy adopted in February 2025 supersedes all previous policies.”
On this legal basis, the NCAA can bar and ban those who are competing with their gender identity rather than assigned gender—basing it on grounds of unequal competition if the competitor has begun hormone therapy.
This e-filing states that on Mar. 31, 2025, Chris Popovici sent an email to Schreiner, stating, “The understanding that I’ve been given by the NCAA is that due to the meet being under NCAA rules, even as an unattached athlete, you would need to compete in your birth gender category as a competitor under that set of rules…If you don’t want to compete in the other category, then I don’t have a solution other than to offer an exhibition event where you compete by yourself.” He explained that this alternative would be “Much like when schools run an alumni mile with mixed gender. [It] would provide you a chance to compete, but it wouldn’t be part of the women’s events.”
Many online have pointed to this as a means for Schreiner to compete, but the filing states that she was “looking to compete at the Geneseo Early Invitational as a member of the public not representing an entity or institution” alongside other competitors also barred. While an alternative option, this is an entirely different event in terms of dynamics.
Nevertheless, as is the basis of this lawsuit, the NCAA policies application states that “Additionally, schools are subject to local, state and federal legislation and such legislation supersedes the rules of the NCAA.” According to the New York Human Rights Law, on the seeming basis of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA): “Discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression is prohibited in all areas covered by the Human Rights Law, including employment, housing, places of public accommodation, non-religious schools, and more.” Alongside this, New York Executive Law 296: “Unlawful discriminatory practices” which is a protection that upholds equal treatment of all people within the state.
This e-filing goes on to say that as a result of this practice, “Defendants violated the New York state law when they excluded Sadie from the 200 and 400 meter women’s races.” In addition to this, “SUNY Geneseo and the Defendants had an agreement to exclude Sadie Schreiner from the women’s races. Upon information and belief, Defendants engaged in the overt act in directing SUNY Geneseo to exclude Sadie in furtherance of the agreement with the NCAA from the women’s races. Defendants acted with intention in furtherance of the purpose of excluding Sadie.”
Thus far, no other party(s) have responded to additional questions or follow-ups on this lawsuit and its potential ramifications.
Even so, as this case is pending litigation and various masses gather around either side of this matter, it is clear this lawsuit is not solely about the barring of transitioned athletes; it is also about state and federal law, and the people and organizations that must adhere to each in all respective instances.