Penn State fencing coach Wes Glon facing SafeSport suspension for alleged misconduct
Penn State fencing head coach Wieslaw “Wes” Glon is facing a three-year suspension for failure to report sexual misconduct allegations, abuse of process and retaliation, according to the U.S. Center for SafeSport website.
The Daily Collegian first reported Glon’s pending suspension.
The suspension comes after allegations were levied against former assistant coach George Abashidze in 2018. Abashidze was accused of sexual assault by Jennifer Oldham, the owner and head coach of Mid-South Fencers Club in Durham, North Carolina, after Abashidze allegedly made sexual advances toward Oldham on a Dec. 2017 flight to a fencing tournament in Portland, Oregon. Abashidze’s alleged actions eventually elevated to the level of physical assault.
Glon and Abashidze also allegedly intimidated Oldham when traveling to an event in North Carolina, according to the lawsuit, arranging a meeting with Oldham in the process. There the two coaches allegedly threatened Oldham, telling her nobody would believe her and they would make sure of it.
Oldham revised her allegations to include a “defamation campaign,” in a June 16 affidavit filed in the Pennsylvania Middle District Court against Abashidze, Glon, Penn State’s Title IX coordinator Christopher Harris and the university itself. According to the affidavit, Oldham said she filed a Title IX complaint against Glon to Penn State in April 2019, which Oldham alleges sparked the two coaches to spread a false narrative about her that led to “intense hostility and harassment” in the fencing community. Oldham alleges that neither Harris nor the university took action to curtail the defamation.
Abashidze was placed on administrative leave in the fall of 2018 before eventually leaving the program in the spring of 2019.
According to the Collegian’s reporting, the SafeSport suspension would preclude Glon from participating in events associated with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the National Governing Bodies recognized by the USOPC, a “Local Affiliated Organization” and any Paralympic sports Organization.
The SafeSport suspension is not yet finalized and subject to appeal.
Glon has coached two U.S. Olympic teams — in 1992 and 1996 — and served in various capacities for the U.S. World Championship Teams from 1988-2017, according to his biography on the Nittany Fencing Academy website. Glon is the head coach at the College Township-based academy, which teaches middle school and high school-aged students.
Penn State learned of Glon’s SafeSport suspension Monday night, according to a statement, and placed him on interim suspension pending further review with Adam Kaszubowski serving as interim head coach. The university does not comment on pending litigation.
Glon’s profile is no longer available on Penn State’s website.
