By Zach Koons The former Penn swimmer pushed back on criticism she’d received last season. View the original article to see embedded media. After becoming the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship over two months ago, former Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas responded to criticism that she received throughout the 2021–22 season, saying that she did not transition to gain a competitive advantage. “The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned,” Thomas said in an interview Monday with ABC News and ESPN. “People will say, ‘Oh, she just t…