Riley Gaines 'Ecstatic' After UPenn Wipes Lia Thomas Records, Strikes Deal W/ Gov

Riley Gaines has, for years, fought tooth and nail to keep trans athletes out of women's sports ... so now that Lia Thomas' records have been wiped clean by UPenn, how does the star college swimmer-turned-activist feel about the news?

TMZ Sports asked Gaines on Wednesday.

"This has been my mission these past three years to get any sort of accountability, responsibility, and I think more so transparency," Riley told us, reacting to the University of Pennsylvania stripping Thomas of her school records, as well as issuing an apology letter for allowing LT to compete.

Gaines, who swam against Thomas, continued ... "I am ecstatic. I'm over the moon. I am so excited. I'm a bit cynical, truthfully, as I don't believe that the University of Pennsylvania necessarily approaches this conversation in good faith."

Of course, Riley -- who hosts Outkick's Gaines For Girls -- is referring to the U.S. government withholding nearly $200 million in federal funding ... pending the university striking a deal with the Department of Education, and agreeing to the government's conditions.

"This was never something [UPenn] was willing to do. Granted, they have $175 million hanging over their head that they would lose out on it if they weren't willing to do this. So maybe that amount of money can make anyone grow a spine," Riley quipped.

As part of the agreement, UPenn will also adhere to President Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" and "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism" executive orders (Riley was with POTUS when he signed a few months back).

The school with also implement biology-based definitions for the words "male" and "female."

There's more with Riley. Is this an inflection point, or a one-off ... and how does the All-American swimmer feel personally as a soon-to-be first-time mother of a little baby girl?