Last weekend, Rise Above and Penn State Adaptive Athletics were proudly represented at the Move United/Hartford Nationals in Michigan, where Head Coach Brenna O'Connor and Assistant Coach Tim Henn led four outstanding student-athletes: Esther-Faith Henn, Jack Cunningham, Max Malec, and Lucas Resch. Their performances were nothing short of exceptional. The team's success extended well beyond the medal podium. Both Jack Cunningham and Lucas Resch earned qualifying marks for nex

Samantha McMinn started playing wheelchair basketball at age six with the Bennett Blazers, where she gained experience playing multiple positions. That early start turned into a five-year collegiate career at the University of Arizona, where she competed on both academic and athletic scholarships. She served as team captain of the women's wheelchair basketball team and earned multiple Academic All-American honors. Today, Samantha is helping build the Penn State Adaptive Athle

Penn State Adaptive Athletics had a strong week at the GLASA Great Lakes Games in Illinois this June. From June 3 to June 7, Max Malec, Lucas Resch, and Esther-Faith Henn competed at the GLASA Games near Chicago. Together, the three athletes brought home medals in track and field events, with season bests, personal records, and a new GLASA Games meet record among the highlights Lucas Resch Lucas took first place and broke a GLASA Games meet record in the F63 shot put with a t

Zane Hummel was always an athlete. He excelled in the long jump and sprints, broke school records, and was on track to compete at Penn State. Then a motorcycle accident changed everything, resulting in the amputation of his leg. Penn State Student Media's "After the Whistle" series recently told his story. The feature covers his recovery, his path to Penn State's adaptive program, and what he's working toward now. Zane is back on the track, training with teammates, and settin

By the time Angel Guzman was five years old, sports had already begun shaping the course of his life. Born with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele, hydrocephalus, bladder dysfunction, clubfoot, and strabismus, Angel began using a wheelchair at an early age. From the moment of diagnosis, his parents, Jose and Erika Guzman, were told his future would come with limitations, especially when it came to mobility and long-term health. “At two years old, he got his first wheelchair,” Jose