A former All-American Penn State fencer has filed a federal lawsuit alleging coach Wes Glon abused her and other female fencers and accusing the university of failing to address complaints.
In the lawsuit filed on Monday in the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania, Zara Moss accused Penn State of violating Title IX guidelines and neglecting to meaningfully investigate reports of abuse within the fencing program. Glon, meanwhile, is accused of subjecting female fencers, including Moss, to physical, verbal and psychological abuse.
Moss, who arrived at Penn State during the 2017-18 academic year, says Glon regularly criticized her appearance and levied sex-based insults in her direction “at every opportunity.” Attorneys Chelsea Weaver and Scott Simon wrote that Glon physically assaulted Moss when he made her fence “without equipment” and struck her as she “sobbed and pleaded with him to stop.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Robert Boland, Penn State’s athletic integrity officer, acknowledged similar reports received about Glon’s conduct but did not seriously investigate claims of abuse.
“Wes’s conduct towards women fencers was no secret,” Weaver and Simon wrote. “Penn State athletic directors and administrators knew about or had observed Wes’s egregious behavior towards female fencers. But Wes’s prestige, influence, and connections were more important to Penn State than protecting its athletes.”
Moss now says she suffers from an eating disorder, body dysmorphia, as well as panic attacks and general anxiety as a result of the alleged abuse, according to the filing.
As a sophomore, Weaver and Simon wrote, Moss underwent an operation on her ankle and gained weight during her recovery, which was stunted when she was coerced into a quick return. Later, Glon allegedly said she performed “better when she was skinny.” The lawsuit claims Glon only commented on female student-athletes’ weights.
Moss says Glon told her she “needed a boyfriend” when her performance suffered following his alleged abuse. He also allegedly accused her of faking injuries, including chronic wrist and leg pain that was later diagnosed as chronic compartment syndrome — a documented condition that worsens when athletes engage in intense and repeated exercises.
Following her diagnosis, university doctors warned Moss that she could sustain permanent nerve damage if her condition was left untreated, Weaver and Simon wrote. Glon, meanwhile, allegedly said she was cleared to practice.
Moss returned to Boland, Penn State’s athletic integrity officer, to report misconduct in April 2021, according to the lawsuit, and says she was asked to provide other names to “corroborate her reports.” As a result, Glon allegedly suspended one named individual for lying about injuries but told the team that the fencer had voluntarily quit, Weaver and Simon wrote.
According to her lawsuit, Moss claims neither Boland nor the university contacted her again.
Moss “will likely never fence competitively again,” because of the alleged abuse, according to the filing. The lawsuit claims she had “a clear path” to the Olympics but now can’t pick up a saber without having a panic attack.
“After fencing for Penn State, Zara did not know who she was anymore,” Weaver and Simon wrote. “In short, Zara’s two loves — fencing and Penn State — broke her.”
Moss is seeking monetary damages to be determined at trial and a court order for Penn State to perform “a thorough investigation” into Glon’s past and current treatment of female fencers within the program.
In November, Glon was reinstated following an unrelated interim suspension by the U.S. Center for SafeSport. He was accused of allegedly failing to report sexual misconduct allegations levied against a former assistant coach.
He still faces an ongoing lawsuit related to that case. North Carolina-based fencing club owner Jennifer Oldham accused former Penn State assistant George Abashidze of sexually harassing and assaulting her during a flight in 2017. She claims Glon and Abashidze subsequently conspired to defame and intimidate her and that Penn State failed to hold the coaches accountable.
