Macey Boggs, a former player on the University of Wyoming women's volleyball team, said in an interview that her squad was divided over whether to compete against San Jose State University during the 2024 season amid controversy surrounding a transgender athlete on the Spartans' roster.[1]
The University of Wyoming announced on October 4, 2024, that it would forfeit its home match against San Jose State scheduled for the following day, October 5.[2] Wyoming Director of Athletics Tom Burman and university president Ed Seidel made the decision, according to an athletics department statement.[2] Boggs said players had held an anonymous vote favoring playing the match, but a group including herself refused to participate, leading to tense locker room discussions focused mainly on the impact of forfeits on team records and playoff chances.[1]
"You could tell that things got a little bit hostile," Boggs told Fox News Digital. "In between the whispering behind each other's back, and then we were no longer one team, one unit, it was like these two separate islands."[1] She added that the disagreements contributed to lasting rifts among teammates, particularly affecting seniors in their final season.[1]
The Wyoming athletics department statement noted that "the situation was very divisive" and that student-athletes, coaches and leaders faced pressure from both sides on whether to play San Jose State.[2] Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon issued a statement on October 4, 2024, supporting the decision: "I am in full support of the decision by Wyoming Athletics to forego playing its volleyball match against San Jose State. It is important we stand for integrity and fairness in female athletics."[3]
Boggs, along with teammates Sierra Grizzle and Jordan Sandy, joined a lawsuit in November 2024 filed by former San Jose State player Brooke Slusser against the Mountain West Conference, San Jose State and the California State University system.[1] U.S. District Judge Kato J. Crews partially dismissed the case in March 2025, dropping claims against the Mountain West Conference while reserving rulings on Title IX claims against San Jose State and CSU pending related litigation.[1]
The controversy centered on San Jose State's Blaire Fleming, a transgender woman who joined the team in 2022 and competed in women's college volleyball.[1][2] Utah State was the first Mountain West team to forfeit a 2024 match against San Jose State.[1]
San Jose State and the CSU system are challenging a U.S. Department of Education finding of Title IX violations related to Fleming's participation. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a March 11, 2025, letter giving the institutions 10 days to reach a compliance agreement or face potential funding cuts and Justice Department referral, according to reports.[1] Boggs described the legal resistance as "a little bit silly."[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital
Article: "Former Wyoming volleyball star opens up about how SJSU trans scandal 'tore team apart'"
Publication date: March 2025 (approx., based on context)
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/former-wyoming-volleyball-star-macey-boggs-opens-up-sjsu-transgender-scandal-team-torn-apart - University of Wyoming Athletics
Article: "Wyoming Volleyball Forfeits Match to San José State"
Publication date: October 4, 2024
https://gowyo.com/news/2024/10/4/volleyball-wyoming-volleyball-forfeits-match-to-san-jose-state.aspx - Office of Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon
Article: "Governor Mark Gordon Statement on Wyoming Volleyball Match"
Publication date: October 4, 2024
https://governor.wyo.gov/press-releases/2024/october-2024/governor-mark-gordon-statement-on-wyoming-volleyball-match
