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Penn State fencer Jessica O’Neill-Lyublinsky prepares to dance in THON

After spending 12 hours observing last year’s THON from the stands of the Bryce Jordan Center, Jessica O’Neill-Lyublinsky called her mom and told her she wanted to dance.

At the time, O’Neill-Lyublinsky’s mother met the idea with skepticism. Not because the odds of being selected as one of 708 dancers are slim, but because O’Neill-Lyublinsky is a member of Penn State’s fencing team, and the 46-hour dance marathon usually falls during a crucial point of the fencing season. Last year was the first time she had witnessed the student-run philanthropy event.

But when the 2017 collegiate fencing schedule was released in October, the fifth-year senior noticed the weekend of Feb.