Of the many quotes that inspire Penn State University junior Maddie Holmberg, one stands out above all. It centers on an “exchange” between a wolf and fate.
In it, fate whispers to the wolf, “You cannot withstand the storm.”
The wolf whispers back, “I am the storm.”
This reminds Holmberg that she is destined for the big moment, that her recent second-place finish in the heptathlon at the Big Ten championships was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Ditto for her upcoming appearance in the NCAA championships, June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore.
“I don’t need inspiration in the sense of wanting to win — I always want to win,” said Holmberg, a Hempfield High grad who captured nine WPIAL titles and four PIAA crowns in her epic prep career. “But that being said, I’m competing at high-level competitions. It’s not about withstanding them, it’s about knowing you belong. You are the storm.”
At the Big Ten finals, Holmberg stormed to a school-record 5,976 points in finishing behind the nation’s No. 1 heptathlete in Georgia Ellenwood of Wisconsin. Ellenwood’s Big Ten-record 6,173 points was the third-best total in the world this season.
It was the 10th best in NCAA history.
“I knew it would probably come down to her and me,” said Holmberg, whose point total is the fifth best in the NCAA this season.
The heptathlon consists of seven events: 100-meter hurdles; high jump; shot put; 200 meters; long jump; javelin; 800 meters.
On Day 1, Holmberg set season-best marks in the hurdles (13.95 seconds) and the high jump (5 feet, 3 inches) en route to holding down the No. 3 spot. She also ran the 200 in 23.79 seconds, the 10th-best mark in school history.
Still, she was dissatisfied. Her throw of 43-¾ in the shot put did not meet her high standards
“The heptathlon is a vicious event because of the shifts in momentum,” said Holmberg, who finished seventh in the pentathlon at the 2017 NCAA indoor championships, earning All-American honors. “Sometimes, things go as planned. Sometimes, they don’t. You have to keep going. You have to get through the highs and the lows.”
On Day 2, Holmberg climbed up the leader board with a long jump of 20 feet, 10¾ inches for the third-best distance in Penn State history. She would go on to finish with a near-unheard-of 6,000 points.
“Maddie is an amazing athlete, she competes like no other,” Penn State coach John Gondak said of Holmberg, who is participating in the East Regionals in Tampa this week, with an eye toward a second NCAA berth in the long jump. “Her continued improvement this year has been fun to watch. [Assistant coach] Fritz Spence predicted a school record for her at the beginning of the year and it came true. To score more than 5,900 points is fantastic. We are looking forward to seeing her compete at the NCAA championships.”
Although the Elias Sports Bureau does not keep track of such things, it is safe to say Holmberg has few equals when it comes to fan support. An example of this occurred during the long jump portion of the heptathlon at the Big Ten championships in Bloomington, Ind.
While most of her contemporaries were supported by a coach or teammate at the morning event, Holmberg’s fan club consisted of 20 teammates, three family members and three roommates.
And make no mistake, this group of 26 was seen — and heard.
Loudly.
They joined Holmberg as she rhythmically clapped while approaching the runway for her jumps. Nittany Lions media relations member Will Rottler caught it all on video for posterity.
Holmberg responded by breaking her career record in the event — by nearly six inches. She later threw a personal-best 142-2 in the javelin.
“Having so many people behind me made a huge difference; you could see it in my results,” said Holmberg, a second-team All-Big Ten selection. “I had the biggest adrenaline rush. None of my competitors said anything about it, but you could see that they noticed. It was awesome.”
Awesome is hardly how things went for Holmberg at the NCAA championships a year ago. In the opening event, the 100 hurdles, she pulled a hamstring coming out of the blocks. This forced her to exit the competition. It was a devastating blow for this one-time Post-Gazette Female Athlete of the Year.
Had it not been for her steely resolve and Herculean work ethic — she trains nearly 3 hours per day — she might have struggled to bounce back.
But instead, she is stronger than ever. She credited another quote — this one from the Bible — for maintaining her mental edge.
“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,” she said, repeating the words written in Philippians 4:13. “It’s all about God’s timing. You have to trust the process. For me, waiting was so much sweeter. Now, I get the chance to reach all of my goals again.”
First Published: May 23, 2018, 11:00 a.m.