CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Schuyler Bailar walked out of the men's locker room and onto the pool deck in a single file with his Harvard teammates. Before Friday's swim meet started, the national anthem played and it gave Bailar some time to think before the meet.
"It was a pretty emotional moment for me," Bailar said. "I had been at countless national anthems getting ready to race and this was the first one I was really myself in a swim setting, and that's something I've been working towards for a really long time."
Bailar made history in Friday's dual meet against Bryant by becoming the first NCAA Division I openly transgender swimmer, according to Harvard.
There were about 10 minutes after the national anthem before Bailar's first race, when he'd swim the breaststroke in the 200 medley relay. He took his sweat suit off a little before the race and focused on the competition.
"I realized everything is different at that moment," Bailar said. "I'm wearing a Speedo instead of a woman's suit. I'm on the men's team. There are so many things that are different. But at the same time, I'm wearing cap and goggles and about to jump in the pool to swim … the breaststroke. In that sense, nothing's changed."
His 200 medley relay finished fourth as did his 400 freestyle relay. He also swam the 100 butterfly, finishing 12th out of 15 competitors in 56.26 seconds.
Bailar's best performance came in the 100-yard breaststroke, where his fifth-place finish scored one point for Harvard. His time was 1 minute, 3.11 seconds.
It helped Harvard beat Bryant, 165-120, at Harvard's Blodgett Pool.
"I didn't expect myself to be able to beat many people, and scoring obviously means that I beat some people," said Bailar, whose last meet before Friday was in Feb. 2014. "That was really exciting and rewarding and just surprising — not because I should be any less than anybody else, but I am starting behind most of the guys."
Bailar said his dad, Gregor Bailar, attended the meet. It helped the meet feel normal, because his dad attended every high school meet. The Bryant team also made Bailar feel comfortable.
"I was curious if people would talk to me or say dumb things or look at me funny or make it obvious that I am different," Bailar said. "That didn't happen."
Harvard's next meet is Friday and Saturday at Ithaca, N.Y., against Cornell and Dartmouth. But for the first one, Bailar said he felt "stoked with the result."
"I had a lot of fun," Bailar said.
Names in bold are people that have announced publicly they identify as LGBT.
Division I
Kendall Covington (sophomore, Penn women's volleyball) helped her team go 2-2 the past two weekends. The Quakers (11-13 overall, 5-7 Ivy League) are fifth in the conference entering the final week of the regular season. For the season, Covington leads the team with 68 blocks and ranks fourth with 131 kills.
Mason Darrow (junior, Princeton football) participated in his team's last two games — a 47-21 Halloween win vs. Cornell and Saturday's 26-23 overtime loss to Penn. The Tigers are 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Ivy League.
Alec Donovan (freshman, Cal Poly wrestling) said he plans to redshirt this season. He'll occasionally compete unattached this season. Cal Poly opened its season Nov. 2 against Stanford.
After wins the first two meets of the season, Liam Huffman (junior, George Washington men's swimming) ended his streak. On Saturday against Towson, his best finish was fifth in the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:12.93) with a sixth in the 500 freestyle (4:58.44).
Nick Jessee (junior, St. Louis men's swimming) helped his team win the 400-yard freestyle relay Oct. 31 at Geneva, Ohio, against La Salle, St. Bonaventure and Duquesne. At that meet, he also finished third in the 100 freestyle (47.64 seconds) and sixth in the 100 butterfly (53.59 seconds).
Ayrton Kasemets (sophomore, Oakland men's swimming) won the 200-yard breaststroke Oct. 30 at Wayne State for his first win of the season. He completed the race in 2:08.09. He took second in the 100 breaststroke at the same meet in 58.97 seconds. On Saturday in a dual meet at Eastern Michigan, Kasemets took third in the 200 breaststroke (2:04.48) and fourth in the 100 breaststroke (57.32 seconds).
On Saturday, Jesse Klug (senior, Bucknell men's soccer) scored the game's first goal and added an assist in a 4-0 win over Army West Point that clinched the Bison's No. 5 seed in the Patriot League tournament, which starts Tuesday. Bucknell (7-6-5 overall, 3-3-3 Patriot) closed the regular season on a 4-1-1 stretch. In Klug's four games since returning from a broken foot, he has one goal and five assists, and that gives him 77 career points, which ties for sixth in school history. Klug has also been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America's Academic All-District Team. Klug is also one of 10 finalists for the men's soccer Senior CLASS Award, and the winner is determined by online voting (click here to vote).
Lauren Miranda (senior, Duke women's rowing) opened the fall season Nov. 1 at the 3-mile Princeton Chase on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J. She competed in the varsity eight B boat and the varsity four C boat. Her varsity eight boat took 29th out of 65 boats in 15:59.382. Her varsity four boat took 23rd out of 30 boats in 18:43.288.
Alex Obendorf (sophomore, West Virginia men's diving) received the Big 12 Conference Men's Diver of the Week award Nov. 5 for his performance during a meet Oct. 23-24 that included a win on 3-meter springboard.
Austin Parrish (junior, Eastern Illinois men's swimming) made his season debut Oct. 31 at Evansville after missing the first two meets with a health condition. Against Evansville, he only swam the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing sixth in 2:27.07. Saturday against Valparaiso, he took third in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.91), helping the Panthers to their first team win of the season.
Jack Thorne (freshman, Northwestern men's swimming) did not compete during his team's competition Friday and Saturday at Missouri. It's the second consecutive competition Thorne missed since a shoulder injury.
Seattle women's volleyball coach James Finley propelled his team into second place in the Western Athletic Conference with Saturday's 26-24, 25-13, 25-15 win over Utah Valley. The Redhawks (16-9 overall, 8-4 WAC) have two regular-season games remaining.
Stanford diving coach Patrick Jeffrey guided his athletes to a sweep Saturday of the 1- and 3-meter springboard competitions against the N.C. State men's team.
College of Charleston women's volleyball assistant coach Drew Davis saw his team win three consecutive matches since a 3-0 loss to Towson on Oct. 30. The Cougars (16-12 overall, 8-6 Colonial Athletic Association) won against James Madison, Elon, and William & Mary.
Galen Dodd (sophomore, Orange Coast College men's volleyball) said that he will not be playing this season for the Pirates after suffering a career-ending knee injury during the summer. As a result, he accepted a volunteer assistant coaching position with the University of Southern California men's volleyball team, which the team's sports information director Katie Ryan confirmed.
Since an Oct. 30 scoreless tie with No. 4-ranked Clarkson, Harvard women's hockey assistant coachLee-J Mirasolo saw her team win three consecutive games against St. Lawrence, Yale, and Brown. The No. 9-ranked Crimson are 3-1-1 overall.
Division II
Noah Ratliff (freshman, Mercyhurst men's water polo) helped his team to a seventh-place finish Sundayat the three-day Southern Championships tournament at Bucknell. Mercyhurst (12-8 overall) went 2-2 at the tournament.
Javier Ruisanchez (freshman, Gannon University men's swimming) competed in three meets the last two weeks, with a second-place Friday against Shippensburg in the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:38.69) being his best result. Saturday against Bloomsburg, Ruisanchez finished sixth in the 200 butterfly (2:05.41) with a time that qualified him for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships.
Division III
Chris Cassingham (sophomore, Mary Washington men's swimming) said he suffered a concussion that caused him to miss competitions Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 7. The team's next competition is Dec. 4.
Max Korten (senior, Moravian College men's cross country) ran 30:13.31 at the 8-kilometer Landmark Conference Championships on Oct. 31 at Kings Point, N.Y. Korten finished third on his team and 56th overall, helping the Hounds to a seventh-place finish.
NAIA
David Gilbert (junior, Lewis-Clark State College men's cross country) competed at the Frontier Conference Championship on Friday. He finished 38th overall and 12th on his team in 29:49.04 for 8 kilometers. Lewis-Clark won the men's team title, which earned it a spot at the NAIA National Championships. Only the team's top seven runners will compete at nationals, so the conference meet ends Gilbert's season.
Jesse Taylor (redshirt sophomore, Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball) has not played in the team's three regular season games so far. He played three minutes and grabbed two rebounds during an exhibition against South Dakota State on Thursday.
Junior College
The Potomac State women's soccer team concluded its season Oct. 29. Fayra Bonilla-Rubi (freshman) was the only player on the roster that did not play in any of the team's 11 games.
Macoy McLaughlin (sophomore, North Idaho College men's soccer) ended the season Oct. 31 with a 4-2 loss to Wenatchee Valley. North Idaho finishes 5-10-4 overall.
Upcoming competitions involving LGBT college athletes and coaches that have announced their sexuality publicly. (All times are Eastern)
Tuesday, Nov. 10
Jesse Klug, Bucknell men's soccer at Lehigh for Patriot League Tournament; Bethlehem, Pa., 7 p.m.
Drew Davis (ast. coach) College of Charleston women's volleyball vs. UNC Wilmington; Charleston, S.C., 7 p.m.
Jesse Taylor, Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball at Dakota State University; Madison, S.D.,8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 11
James Finley (coach) Seattle University women's volleyball vs. New Mexico State, Seattle, 10:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13, 15
Kendall Covington, Penn women's volleyball at Columbia; New York, 7 p.m.
Taylor Emery, Tulane women's basketball vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, New Orleans, 6:30 p.m.
Derrick Gordon, Seton Hall men's basketball vs. Dartmouth, at Newark, N.J., 7 p.m.
Jesse Klug, Bucknell men's soccer at Patriot League Tournament, TBA
Drew Davis (ast. coach) College of Charleston women's volleyball at Delaware; Newark, Del., 7 p.m.
Patrick Jeffrey, Stanford diving coach (men) at A3 Performance Invite; Monterey Park, Calif., All Day
Lee-J Mirasolo (ast. coach) Harvard women's hockey vs. Union; Cambridge, Mass., 7 p.m.
Ryan Mizner (ast. coach) Central Michigan men's basketball vs. Jacksonville State; Mount Pleasant, Mich., 4:30 p.m.
Jesse Taylor, Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball vs. Oglala Lakota College; Mitchell, S.D., 9 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14
Schuyler Bailar, Harvard men's swimming vs. Cornell, Dartmouth; Ithaca, N.Y., 11 a.m.
Kendall Covington, Penn women's volleyball at Cornell; Ithaca, N.Y., 5 p.m.
Mason Darrow, Princeton football vs. Yale; Princeton, N.J., 1 p.m.
Ayrton Kasemets, Oakland men's swimming vs. UIC, Wright State; Rochester, Mich., 1 p.m.
Lauren Miranda, Duke women's rowing at Rivanna Romp; Charlottesville, Va., All Day
Austin Parrish, Eastern Illinois men's swimming at Ball State; Muncie, Ind., 2 p.m.
Jack Thorne, Northwestern men's swim team vs. Wisconsin; Evanston, Ill., 11:30 a.m.
James Finley (coach) Seattle University women's volleyball vs. Texas Rio Grande Valley, Seattle, 4 p.m.
Patrick Jeffrey, Stanford diving coach (men) at A3 Performance Invite; Monterey Park, Calif., All Day
Chris Burns (ast. coach) Bryant men's basketball at Duke; Durham, N.C., TBA
Lee-J Mirasolo (ast. coach) Harvard women's hockey vs. Rensselaer; Cambridge, Mass., 4 p.m.
Austin Olivares, Lindenwood men's swimming vs. UMSL, Maryville, & Belleville; St. Peters, Mo., 2 p.m.
Javier Ruisanchez, Gannon University men's swimming vs. Tiffin Univ.; Erie, Pa., Noon
Max Korten, Moravian College men's cross country at NCAA DIII Mideast Regional; Newville, Penn.,12:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15
Derrick Gordon, Seton Hall men's basketball vs. Wagner, South Orange, N.J., 1:30 p.m. (FS1)
Jesse Klug, Bucknell men's soccer at Patriot League Tournament, TBA
Patrick Jeffrey, Stanford diving coach (men) at A3 Performance Invite; Monterey Park, Calif., All Day
Monday, Nov. 16
Bree Horracks, Purdue women's basketball vs. Jacksonville State; West Lafayette, Ind., TBA
Tuesday, Nov. 17
Taylor Emery, Tulane women's basketball vs. Jackson State, New Orleans, 8 p.m.
Ryan Mizner (ast. coach) Central Michigan men's basketball vs. Alma; Mount Pleasant, Mich., 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Chris Burns (ast. coach) Bryant men's basketball vs. Emerson; Smithfield, R.I., 7 p.m.
Lee-J Mirasolo (ast. coach) Harvard women's hockey vs. New Hampshire; Cambridge, Mass., 7 p.m.
Jesse Taylor, Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball at Briar Cliff; Sioux City, Iowa, 9 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 19
Taylor Emery, Tulane women's basketball at Florida State, Tallahassee, Fla., 7 p.m.
Derrick Gordon, Seton Hall men's basketball vs. Long Beach State, Gildan Charleston Classic, Charleston, S.C., 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Bree Horracks, Purdue women's basketball vs. Illinois-Chicago; West Lafayette, Ind., TBA
Liam Huffman, George Washington men's swimming at Magnus Cup Invitational; Cleveland, All Day
James Finley (coach) Seattle University women's volleyball at WAC Tournament, Kansas City, Mo., TBA
Patrick Jeffrey, Stanford diving coach (women) at Texas A&M Invitational; College Station, Texas, All Day
Friday, Nov. 20
Schuyler Bailar, Harvard men's swimming at Columbia; New York City, N.Y., 6 p.m.
Derrick Gordon, Seton Hall men's basketball at Gildan Charleston Classic, Charleston, S.C., TBA
Liam Huffman, George Washington men's swimming at Magnus Cup Invitational; Cleveland, All Day
Nick Jessee, St. Louis men's swimming; Jack Thorne, Northwestern men's swim team at Northwestern TYR Invitational; Evanston, Ill., TBA
Alex Obendorf, West Virginia men's diving at Tennessee Invite; Knoxville, Tenn., 8 a.m.
Austin Parrish, Eastern Illinois men's swimming at House of Champions; Indianapolis, All Day
James Finley (coach) Seattle University women's volleyball at WAC Tournament, Kansas City, Mo., TBA
Patrick Jeffrey, Stanford diving coach (women) at Texas A&M Invitational; College Station, Texas, All Day
Chris Burns (ast. coach) Bryant men's basketball vs. Prairie View; Smithfield, R.I., 7 p.m.
Drew Davis (ast. coach) College of Charleston women's volleyball at CAA Championship; TBA
Saturday, Nov. 21
Mason Darrow, Princeton football at Dartmouth; Hanover, N.H., Noon
Alec Donovan, Cal Poly wrestling vs. Old Dominion; Gilroy, Calif., 8 p.m.
Bree Horracks, Purdue women's basketball at North Florida; Jacksonville, Fla., TBA
Liam Huffman, George Washington men's swimming at Magnus Cup Invitational; Cleveland, All Day
Nick Jessee, St. Louis men's swimming; Jack Thorne, Northwestern men's swim team at Northwestern TYR Invitational; Evanston, Ill., TBA
Alex Obendorf, West Virginia men's diving at Tennessee Invite; Knoxville, Tenn., 8 a.m.
Austin Parrish, Eastern Illinois men's swimming at House of Champions; Indianapolis, All Day
James Finley (coach) Seattle University women's volleyball at WAC Tournament, Kansas City, Mo., TBA
Patrick Jeffrey, Stanford diving coach (women) at Texas A&M Invitational; College Station, Texas, All Day
Chris Burns (ast. coach) Bryant men's basketball vs. TBA; Smithfield, R.I., 7 p.m.
Drew Davis (ast. coach) College of Charleston women's volleyball at CAA Championship; TBA
Javier Ruisanchez, Gannon University men's swimming vs. Grove City College, at Case Western Reserve Univ.; Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Jesse Taylor, Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball at Nebraska Wesleyan; Lincoln, Neb., 5 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 22
Derrick Gordon, Seton Hall men's basketball at Gildan Charleston Classic, Charleston, S.C., TBA
Liam Huffman, George Washington men's swimming at Magnus Cup Invitational; Cleveland, All Day
Nick Jessee, St. Louis men's swimming; Jack Thorne, Northwestern men's swim team at Northwestern TYR Invitational; Evanston, Ill., TBA
Alex Obendorf, West Virginia men's diving at Tennessee Invite; Knoxville, Tenn., 8 a.m.
Austin Parrish, Eastern Illinois men's swimming at House of Champions; Indianapolis, All Day
Drew Davis (ast. coach) College of Charleston women's volleyball at CAA Championship; TBA
