First RIT Athlete Speaks Out About Sharing Team and Locker Room With Transgender Athlete in Women’s Sports

Caroline Hill turned down several Division I track and field offers to join the Division III Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Her decision paid off early — she set school records in both the 200-meter and 300-meter sprints during her first years on the team.

But her time in the spotlight was short-lived. Both records would later be broken by transgender teammate Sadie Schreiner, and Hill says she spent two seasons feeling “uncomfortable” sharing not just the track, but the women’s locker room with her.

Even after Schreiner was declared ineligible following an NCAA rule change on February 6, Hill alleges the athlete continued to train with the team and use the women’s facilities for about a month afterward. RIT has declined to comment on Hill’s account.

Now, Hill has chosen to go public. She’s the first RIT athlete to openly share her experience with Schreiner — previously, she participated anonymously in swimmer Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA in 2023, Schreiner’s first year competing for RIT.

Breaking Records and Locker Room Strain With a Transgender Athlete in Women’s Sports

According to Hill, she and her teammates were first introduced to Schreiner in 2022 as a future team member. Although Schreiner practiced occasionally that season, the athlete did not compete until 2023.

“We were kind of paired up as training partners because we were both ‘women’ in the same events,” Hill recalled. “But I just couldn’t see it as fair. The expectation was that we were equals, and I struggled with that.”

Hill raised her concerns with coaches and school administrators but said she met firm resistance. She alleges that RIT Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Jacqueline Nicholson, told the women’s team that some of them had “more testosterone” than Schreiner and assured them the NCAA’s policies justified her participation.

“She told us they supported this athlete competing on our team,” Hill said. “It was delivered in a way that made it clear disagreeing was not acceptable.”

Hill described her sprint coach’s reaction to her concerns as dismissive: “I tried to express how vulnerable and uncomfortable I felt, but it was brushed off. The focus, they said, shouldn’t be on that.”

Some teammates, Hill acknowledged, supported Schreiner’s inclusion on the team.

Breaking Records and Locker Room Strain

In 2024, Schreiner surpassed Hill’s 300-meter record by 1.42 seconds, a mark Hill had set in 2022. Then, in early 2025, Schreiner claimed the 200-meter record with a 24.46-second run — eclipsing Hill’s 25.82. Hill now sits second in both events behind Schreiner.

Off the track, Hill said the locker room situation was equally challenging. Schreiner’s locker was directly beside hers. Although she claims Schreiner never changed in the women’s space, Hill said his presence still made her uneasy.

“If he was nearby, I’d wait to change, or I’d do it as quickly as possible,” she said. “It’s not something I should have had to ‘just deal with.’”

Rule Change and Aftermath

On February 5, former President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. The NCAA adopted a new policy the next day, restricting women’s competition to biological females.

RIT issued a statement on February 12 confirming Schreiner would not compete in the next meet. However, Hill alleges Schreiner continued practicing with the team and using women’s facilities for roughly a month afterward.

“I was confused,” Hill said. “The rule had changed, but nothing really changed in practice.”

Schreiner’s attorney, Susie Cirilli, declined comment on Hill’s remarks.

Competing Elsewhere and Legal Action

Following the NCAA ineligibility, Schreiner turned to non-NCAA competitions. On March 1, she won the women’s 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at the USA Track & Field Open Masters Championships in New York. Weeks later, she suggested on Instagram that her meet in Maine might be her last in the U.S., citing a change in USATF’s transgender policy to align with World Athletics rules, which ban athletes who have undergone male puberty from women’s events.

In July, Schreiner sued Princeton University, claiming officials barred her from a women’s 200-meter race at the Larry Ellis Invitational minutes before the start. The lawsuit argues this violated her rights under New Jersey law and caused emotional and physical harm.

Hill Speaks Out

Hill, now a graphic design graduate, said she stayed silent out of fear of backlash while still on campus. But with changing public sentiment, she’s decided to speak openly in support of women’s sports protections.

“I know a lot of girls feel they can’t speak out,” she said. “The NCAA has made it harder for women to use their voices. I want to be one of those who does.”

Hill is calling for RIT to apologize and to reinstate her as the official record-holder in both the 200-meter and 300-meter sprints.