When the NCAA banned her from women’s sports, this trans athlete moved to Canada to keep competing.

Earlier this year Elle Yung, then a college sophomore student-athlete from New York City, was in her dorm at Brandeis University in Massachusetts pondering a decision to stay or go. The NCAA’s 2025 policy banning transgender women from competing in the female category was a definite factor.

“I didn’t really want to transfer yet,” she told Outsports. “Brandeis was still my home and all my friends are there.

“I felt very safe, but I couldn’t compete.”

She took a rare chance to compete last season at a meet at the University of Western Ontario. That day opened a door.

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“I came to Western and competed as an unattached athlete,” she said. “It was at that meet where I realized that I still love this sport so much. If I don’t compete on a team, I’m wasting my time with my life.”

Conversations with coaches and officials at the school led Yung to head north to London, Ont. She is now studying kinesiology and training as a pentathlete on their women’s track team with her debut meet scheduled for November 28.

USports, which is Canada’s governing body for sports at the larger universities, allows a trans student-athlete to compete in the category corresponding to the gender by which they identify. Their regulations do not include stated medical requirements.

Yung has been getting used to a campus of over 37,000 students, a colder climate and competing at a school that is considered a sports powerhouse. She is excited about that last part, training with a group of multi-eventers she is competing with and bonding with.

“The vibe is, let’s help each other and lets go get it done,” she said of the practice environment. “There’s limited spots that we all have to fight for, but one of the best things about sports is having people around you who push you and make you bring out the best so that you can compete with the best.

“That’s always a team environment that you should strive for.”

Getting back on the track has been important for her, because of memories of a February day in her freshman year.

Changing NCAA rules barring trans women from female sports

“I remember the two days, February 5th and February 6th, very clearly,” she said ruefully. It was those two days that the President of the United States issued an executive order attempting to bar trans women from female sports. The NCAA followed suit with a ban the next day.

“I first learned about this through Instagram because Athlete Ally put out a post,” she recalled of the President’s move. “I’m thinking It’s an executive order, it has no legal power, we’ll be fine. The NCAA’s gonna do something about it eventually, but it’s gonna take a while.

“It took them 12 hours.

“The rules dropped and I couldn’t even cry. I was just so shocked. My 4-year plan just condensed down to just trying to get to the next day.”

Yung says some of those feelings have stayed with her because of what has happened since. The NCAA’s ban seemed to accelerate a domino effect among governing bodies.

Yung also has had to deal with a road trip in January for which Western travels to a meet at Penn State.

“Are they gonna let me compete? Can they let me compete? Are they afraid that they’re going to get backlash from the federal government?

“I like to say I have three years to compete here. Because of just how those rules work, I take it one meet at a time.

“There are always the thoughts. Am I going to become the next scapegoat? Will USports cave the way the NCAA did?”

The goal and the hope of a trans athlete

There is a trans pride flag on the wall of her dorm, filled with signatures of other transgender athletes.

The majesty of one particular name stands out because of a day this past summer.

Yung was at Icahn Stadium in her hometown of New York. It was the USATF Outdoor National Championships, the women’s 1500 meters final. Nikki Hiltz won a fourth straight national title in a three-way photo finish.

“I got my flag signed by Nikki Hiltz,” Yung beamed. “They’ve been such an inspiration to me my entire time in track and it was a dream come true being able to see them in the race, and being able to talk to them even for 30 seconds after the race.

“I told them, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for this community.'”

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That inspiration keeps Elle Yung pushing towards her goal. USports national championships will be in Winnipeg next March, and she wants to qualify for that meet not just for herself or her new school. Yung says being there would be for all those still fighting on as trans people in sports.

“Talking to all my trans siblings in sports, everyone feels so hopeless,” Yung stated. “With the Supreme Court decision… everyone just feels like their place in sports is compromised. I do too, but we still need to keep fighting and still need to show up.

“I would love to PR, get on record boards, have a gold medal, silver, bronze, whatever in my hands. I want to show my trans siblings, out or not, that this is still a possibility. That we still have a place in sports at the highest level.

“That matters more to me than any medal could.”

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