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A junior varsity cross-country meet was the site of a budding dispute between two California high schools over the validity of trans athletes' records in girls' sports.
During a league final last week, an alleged trans athlete for Claremont High School finished in fourth place in the JV girls' competition. Meanwhile, a female athlete for Ayala High School had to settle for 11th place, missing out on a podium finish by one spot.
Ayala girls' cross-country coach Caroline Cobo told Fox News Digital that she lobbied to have her athlete recognized.
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"During the awards, we asked if, when they called the top 10, for each category that they could call up the top 11 for the JV girls' race," Cobo said. "But they said no, they couldn't."
So, Cobo and her team took matters into their own hands.
"So we decided to stand up during that award ceremony and say, 'Oh, and in 10th place,' which, on paper, she was 11th, but in reality she was the 10th biological female to cross the finish line. We stood up and said that, and she went up," Cobo said.
Ayala girls' assistant coach Matthew Ullman said he was confronted in the aftermath.
"While we stood up, lots of eyes on us, obviously. Afterwards we got some thank you's from some parents, some athletes saying 'thank you.' But I got approached by about five or six of the girls from the team where the transgender athlete competes at, and [it was] pretty confrontational," Ullman told Fox News Digital.
Ullman alleged that the Claremont High School athletes told him, "'Why did you have to say that?… You didn't have to say biological female,'" and he claimed he responded, "'Well, I needed to give credit where credit was due.'
"I feel like the Claremont team is a little bit fragmented where some people are like more for it, and some people are against it."
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Claremont High School provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the recognition of only the top 10 finishers, which would include the school's alleged trans athlete. The school cited California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules.
"Claremont High School is a member of the Palomares League, which includes six high schools that collectively follow CIF rules and regulations for athletic competition. The Palomares League rules recognize only the top 10 finishers," the statement said.
"Claremont High School adheres to CIF and Palomares League rules and regulations. We remain committed to ensuring that all student-athletes are treated respectfully and in accordance with agreed-upon procedures."
However, Ayala High School responded to Fox News Digital, recognizing its 11th-place female finisher as rightfully deserving of top-10 recognition, citing a CIF rules amendment that was instituted for girls' track and field this past spring. Ayala said it is petitioning to have its female athlete recognized.
"Ayala administration is committed to recognizing the extraordinary hard work of its athletes and celebrating the dedication and commitment they invest in their athletic programs. Mr. John Kunishima, Ayala High School's Assistant Principal of Athletics and Facilities, has petitioned the Palomares League to recognize the 11 top performing athletes who competed in the League's lower-level girls championship competition this past weekend after one of its female athletes was displaced in the standings by a transgender peer," read an Ayala High School statement.
"Recognizing 11 athletes would be consistent with the California Interscholastic Federation - Southern Section's (CIFSS) 2025 decision for female track and field competitors whereby leadership concluded that a duplicate medal would also be awarded to the next closest female athlete in the competition when a transgender student's performance displaces a female athlete in the standings.
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"The Palomares League Athletic Directors will convene on November 18th to discuss recognizing the 11 top performing athletes of this weekend's event and we are hopeful that an equitable solution will be achieved. By recognizing 11 outstanding athletes, the Palomares League will not only highlight its commitment to fairness and impartiality, but also its dedication to the students that represent its competing schools."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CIF for comment.
The rule change that Ayala's statement referenced was instituted during the girls' track and field state finals this past spring. The presence of Jurupa Valley's trans athlete AB Hernandez prompted national scrutiny in the days leading up to the event, after President Donald Trump seemingly brought attention to the situation in a Truth Social post, threatening to withhold federal funding from California if a trans athlete was allowed to compete in the girls' state finals.
The CIF changed its rule to include biologically female athletes that missed out on qualifying for the competition that may have placed higher were it not for a trans athlete's participation and that any female athlete that finished behind a biological male would be bumped up one spot on the podium.
After Hernandez won first place in the girls' high jump and triple jump, and second place in the girls' long jump, the trans athlete had to share podium spots with the female athletes who finished one spot lower.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said of the rule change at the time, "reasonable and respectful."
"CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness - a model worth pursuing. The Governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach," he said in a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital.
But now, Ayala High School finds itself in the midst of a dispute for merely trying to get that same treatment for the JV runner who finished one spot out of the top 10 last week.
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