The men’s 2A 400-meter dash winner finished in 48.47 seconds, beating Garcia by over seven seconds if they had competed against other biological males

Tim Clouser
The Center Square Washington

Eastern Washington school officials are urging the state to revoke the track titles of a transgender athlete from Spokane after winning another state championship on Saturday.

East Valley High School’s Veronica Garcia took home the gold again at the 2025 Track & Field State Championships. The 17-year-old crossed the finish line a full second ahead of West Valley High School’s Lauren Matthew to claim the girls’ 2A 400-meter dash for the second straight year in a row. 

The men’s 2A 400-meter dash winner finished in 48.47 seconds, beating Garcia by over seven seconds if they had competed against other biological males. Critics yelled from the stands, calling on state officials to defend girls’ sports after rejecting rules to limit participation to biological girls. 

“It’s outrageous that a biological male was allowed to compete in — and win — a girls’ state track title in Washington for the 2nd year in a row,” Kennewick School Board president Gabe Galbraith wrote in a personal statement. “I 100% believe WIAA should revoke the title.” 

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the rulemaking body for school sports, rejected proposals in April to restrict girls’ sports to biological females. Kennewick School Districts had already filed Title XI complaints against the state, but more could be on the way. 

The U.S. Department of Education announced an investigation into the state in April, specifically over biological males competing against girls. DOE says the state’s policies violate several federal laws, not to mention President Donald Trump’s orders prohibiting transgender athletes from competing against girls. 

DOE declined to comment on the situation for The Center Square due to the ongoing investigation. 

Galbraith called Garcia’s win an attack on female athletes and declared Matthew the “rightful 2x state champion.” Mead School Board president Michael Cannon says WIAA is downplaying the issue after it told him that estimates show only five to 10 transgender athletes statewide.

“No one is trying to diminish an individual’s ability to identify as they wish,” Cannon told The Center Square. “All students should be safe and respected no matter their personal gender identity. That can be true while also maintaining integrity and fairness in girls’ sports.” 

Mead School District, just outside Spokane, has also filed a complaint against the state. Cannon says he asked about the number of transgender athletes, but WIAA told him “it as an estimate, not a matter of fact, and that the estimation is based on what our staff has heard.”

Cannon said he could name five transgender athletes in Spokane and suggested the number could be closer to 250, which is only 0.1% of roughly 250,000 student-athletes statewide. 

“​​If we’re going to make a wild guess at how many trans students participate in athletics,” Cannon emailed WIAA officials, “we could at least try to incorporate some of the numbers and percentages that the trans community provides and agrees with.” 

The Center Square reached out to WIAA and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal for comment regarding Saturday’s winner but did not receive a response before publishing. East Valley School District and others also didn’t respond to requests for comment before publishing.

Sehome High School’s Jayda Darroch came in third on Saturday while representing Bellingham School District, which told The Center Square, “We congratulate all the athletes who competed.” 

The Washington Parents Network has also filed complaints and wants to see Matthew crowned champion, even asking the state to adjust the track records to honor the girls Garcia beat. 

“Hopefully, this disgraceful Washington state policy, allowing boys to steal honors that girls have worked their entire lives to achieve, will end,” Executive Director David Spring told The Center Square. “So that, in the 2026 Washington State Track Championship, the Title IX rights of girls will be honored, and only girls will be allowed to compete in girls’ races.

Spokane City Councilmember Paul Dillon, who has ushered in new protections for the transgender community, called Garcia’s wins inspirational and said that the outcome was fair to everyone. 

He thinks the WIAA policy allowing transgender athletes to participate against girls should stand. 

“Trans youth experience so much mistreatment because of their gender identity,” Dillon told The Center Square. “Now more than ever, we are deluged with misinformation across party lines about what the inclusion of transgender youth in sports entails, but it is driven by anti-LGBTQ+ groups who see this as a political wedge issue.  If you want to support youth, let them play sports and use facts over fear. Everybody wins.” 

This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.