Former Roanoke College Women’s Swim Team Captain Exposes Abusive, Vengeful Staff

On August 25, Attorney General Jason Miyares held a press conference at the Salem library to share the findings of his office’s investigation into how Roanoke College treated members of its women’s swim team, a controversy that first erupted in the fall of 2023 and soon went on to make national headlines. Miyares claimed that not only did his office find that Roanoke College violated the swimmers’ civil rights, but also violated the Virginia Human Rights Act and federal Title XI, which was created in 1972 to guarantee equal access to sports for females.

“Thank you Attorney General Miyares. My name is Cady Mullens and I am here today on behalf of my daughter Lily Mullens, one of the complainants in the Attorney General’s investigation of Roanoke College. I will be reading a statement on my daughter’s behalf as she regretfully had work obligations. Lily and I would both like to express thanks for letting her remarks be heard here today.

“I am Lily Mullens, the former captain of the Roanoke College Women’s Swim Team. I’m here today with a heavy but hopeful heart, sharing an experience that’s honestly been the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. Two years ago, my teammates and I returned to campus with college dreams of an amazing swim season. But that optimism was shattered when we learned a male swimmer was joining our women’s team, and we realized that instead of focusing on training and our studies, we would be entering into a battle against our own school and the NCAA for our very basic rights, to compete fairly with and against other female swimmers and to speak freely in defense of our own fair treatment.

“What followed was a grueling ordeal that took a tremendous toll on my mental health, physical well-being, and emotional strength. My teammates and I faced anxiety, sleepless nights, and a sense of defeat and abandonment, knowing biology stacked the odds against us. The leaders responsible for ensuring a safe and lawful educational experience were not only indifferent to our discrimination but actively retaliated against us, upset that we wouldn’t prioritize a man’s feelings above our own rights and accomplishments. At times, the backlash on campus left me so fearful, I became a prisoner in my own dorm room.

“To Roanoke College President Shushok: your failure to stand against this injustice and your tolerance of a climate where retaliation thrived against young women on your campus is unacceptable. I urge you to lead, ensuring equal opportunity for all students, including the many women on campus under your authority. Restore Roanoke to the united community it can be.

“To the professor who retaliated against me, denying me a cherished educational opportunity simply for defending my rights and those of my teammates, I call on Roanoke College to ensure no educator can ever again unjustly derail a student’s journey without facing serious consequences. Your actions were not just personal bias. They were a betrayal of the values education should uphold.

“I close with gratitude to the Virginia Attorney General, Jason Miyares for taking this investigation seriously and defending the rights of women like me and my teammates. Your commitment gives me hope that our voices will be heardand that fairness will prevail. We deserve a future where no female athlete endures what my team and I did. It is my sincere hope that Attorney Generals, politicians, and educational leaders around the country will follow your example and ensure that women receive the safe and fair educational opportunities they have been promised. Thank you for standing with us.”