After spending the holiday season in the Philippines, Penn State University fencer Samantha Catantan is flying back to the United States on Monday, January 2, as she resumes not only her studies but her bid to make it to the 2023 US NCAA Fencing Championships this March that Duke University will host in Durham, North Carolina.

Catantan, 20, is one of the top women's foil fencers at Penn State and she is on track for a third straight stint in the said event, thanks to her solid performances in regional tournaments last year that included a gold medal finish in the Garrett Open in November.