Friends of Penn State
Adaptive Athletics

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

Penn State Rise Above was recently featured on WTAJ's Studio 814 in a segment about the July 25 We Are Family event at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. The segment featured co-host Sue Paterno along with board members Bernie Ryan and Alvin de Levie. Together, they discussed the mission behind Rise Above and the full lineup for the evening. They also discussed the live performance by Grammy Award winner and Altoona native Mike Reid, and the introduction of Penn Sta