The Penn State pieces fell perfectly in place early for freshman fencer Emma Holmes to make Happy Valley her collegiate home. She was coached by Nittany Lion great Tom Strzalkowski, who won the NCAA sabre title for three consecutive years from 1992-94. Holmes was a member of the Fencing Academy of Denver where Strzalkowski is an instructor.
The Penn State pipeline worked its magic as Strzalkowski fenced for longtime head coach Wes Glon and Holmes was introduced to Penn State early on in her recruiting process. The Penn State coaching staff under Glon was involved in clinics that Holmes would attend. "Every year, I was kind of working towards Penn State. It's been my dream school since I was 12 or 13," Holmes said.
She received an envelope in the mail from Penn State Fencing, which her mom took a picture of and sent it to her at school, in January of this year communicating her acceptance and reserving her spot on the team. Holmes noted she still has the envelope hanging up in her room to symbolize her dream had come true.
Being on the East Coast has been easier for Holmes since, As a member of the Fencing Academy of Denver, Holmes knows current sabre teammates Mia Novick and Ola Strzalkowski, and has known them since she was 13.
The start to her career, however, has been paused. During one of the first practices of the fall season, Holmes did a lunge, went to recover, and injured her knee. It is an injury that mirrors an earlier one she had in February of 2022. "The first time it was awful, I couldn't put any weight on it for about two months because I had such bad bone bruising on my legs," Holmes said. "This time, I was off of crutches in eight days, so I was really excited to kind of jump back into things and be able to have a good recovery, but it's been about two months and it's still pretty painful."
She has surgery scheduled this December to strengthen the injured knee even more. Holmes plans to take a redshirt and work towards coming back next season at 100 percent.
After moving to campus on Aug. 17, Holmes grew homesick very quickly and really missed her parents, dogs and sister, but added, "I've always been a pretty independent person, even when I was at home, so I feel like I've been adjusting to college pretty well, and I LOVE this team. I feel like I have already met so many really cool, really interesting people that I wouldn't have met if not for fencing."
During her time at Penn State, Holmes wants to grow as a fencer and make lasting connections with everyone she comes across. Being part of the Penn State fencing family is something she's dreamt of for years, and embarking upon the realization of that dream has been amazing for her. She looks forward to rehabbing her injury, getting back on the strips, and showcasing her amazing skills next season.
