Longtime Penn State fencing coach Wes Glon announces retirement while on administrative leave
Longtime Penn State fencing coach Wes Glon — who was placed on paid administrative leave last September and was not reinstated — has retired after spending 37 years as an assistant and then head coach for the men’s and women’s programs.
Penn State announced the move Thursday in a news release that did not include any statements from Glon or Athletic Director Pat Kraft. A national search will be conducted to find the next head coach, according to Kris Petersen, senior associate athletics director for communications and content.
Glon spent 28 years as an assistant Penn State coach, where he helped lead the Nittany Lions to 12 national team titles. He took over as the interim head coach in 2013, earning another national team championship to go with Coach of the Year honors, and had the interim tag removed from his title soon thereafter.
However, Glon has also been entrenched in controversy the last few years, as two federal lawsuits involving the Poland native remain active.
A North Carolina woman alleged Glon and the university were negligent in handling a report that assistant coach George Abashidze — who was fired in 2019 — made numerous lewd comments and sexually assaulted her during a 2017 return flight from a national fencing competition. Former All-American fencer Zara Moss also alleged in a lawsuit last year that the program was a “hotbed for sexual assault and gender discrimination.” She accused Glon of verbal abuse, targeting her for her weight, and being dismissive of injuries and her mental well-being.
A federal judge dismissed the North Carolina woman’s case, but the decision is currently being appealed. Moss’ case saw an amended complaint filed last month.
Glon was placed on paid administrative leave in September 2022 after Penn State was informed that USA Fencing had “imposed certain restrictions” on him.
Still, the longtime coach remains revered in many fencing circles. A Penn State Fencing Facebook post announcing his retirement saw an overwhelming number of congratulations and positive wishes.
One woman thanked him for encouraging her back in 1989. “There was no NCAA women’s sabre at the time, but you took the time to talk to me and invite me to practice when many other coaches college coaches treated me unkindly,” the woman wrote. Another shared, “You are one of the best coaches and human beings I have had the pleasure to know.”
As head coach, Glon produced 50 All-Americans and a half-dozen individual national titles. He also coached numerous U.S. National Teams, including in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.
He immigrated to the U.S. in 1983. Before that, he won Poland’s highest fencing honors in the saber six times and was a bronze medalist at the 1979 World University Games in Mexico City.
CDT reporter Bret Pallotto contributed to this report
