Student-Athlete Check In: Kelli Wozniak – Penn State Fencing
As the events of early March unfolded and changed all over the country, Penn State student-athletes found themselves facing uncertainty and transition in their academic and athletic realities.
The Penn State fencing team, 2019 NCAA runner ups, was preparing for the 2020 NCAA Championship when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted. As the entire Penn State family works for ways to stay connected, we can check in with some members of head coach Wes Glon's fencing team to get some insight into how typical student-athletes reacted, adjusted and began the process of forging ahead in our current circumstance.
GoPSU: What was your first reaction when you heard that spring break had turned in to online learning?
Kelli: "By the time I had heard abut Penn State switching to online learning, I had already heard about other schools such as Ohio State and all of the Ivy League schools switching so I expected that we would switch as well. That gave me time to mentally adjust to the switch but at the time I was only focused on training for NCAAs that were supposed to be the week after spring break."
GoPSU: How have you been adapting to online learning?
Kelli: "Since my major is engineering, I was already used to planning out my schoolwork by the week and breaking down what I had to accomplish every day, so not much has changed for me. My course load is just as challenging as if it were in class, and my classes are meeting at the same times as if we still had in person class. In all honesty, online learning feels the exact same as in class learning, I just miss walking around campus between classes."
GoPSU: Athletes are by nature focused on staying healthy, what have you been doing to keep fit, active and energized?
Kelli: "Since all gyms are closed, I have resumed my love of running. I will do an at home workout about twice a week, but I am mostly going out and running four-to-five miles each day and stretching about 20 minutes each day in order to stay active. Nutrition wise, I have made choices to not purchase snack foods and have been focused on having enough vegetables as part of my diet for the day along with eating three meals a day instead of snacking all day."
GoPSU: How are you handling the disappointment of not being able to compete in the post-season?
Kelli: "I qualified for NCAAs and this was going to be the first year I was going to be able to compete. Luckily, I am only a junior and I have a chance to qualify and hopefully compete next year as well. I was fortunate enough to have had a great season, so NCAAs would have been the icing on the cake, but it is not the end of the world that I was not able to compete. Although I was excited and trying to become an All-American which was my goal all year, this only motivates me to make the most out of my senior year next season."
GoPSU: What has your family been doing together during this extended period of social distancing? Any family activities, etc.?
Kelli: "Since I remained in State College and my family is in Ohio, not many family activities have come up from this. I have been calling my parents more and talking to them for longer on the phone but that is just because they are retired and now they have no one else to go talk to or see besides each other."
