Elizabeth Pearson, a Penn State marketing senior and member of the women’s club lacrosse team, took floor as a THON 2026 dancer this weekend, raising funds and awareness for pediatric cancer.
An Eden Prairie, Minnesota native, Pearson chose Penn State for its Big Ten athletics and East Coast opportunities.
“I knew I wanted a Big Ten and so I started looking. I figured I’d fit in the East Coast more than the West Coast. So I kind of traveled here from lacrosse tournaments growing up, and then from there, I just kind of fell in love with Penn State,” she said.
Her early visits and love for the campus convinced her it was the right fit both academically and athletically. Since she’s stepped foot on campus, she has been on the women’s club lacrosse team for three years. Making the team as a freshman was a defining moment.
“It was my first big win coming into college, making the team because it is a pretty competitive team to make,” she said.. “And that just created a community for me from the beginning. I didn’t really understand how to make a school this big feel small. So I kind of leveraged a sport to be able to meet people. Those were my first friends.”
Pearson said although she didn’t know about THON before arriving at Penn State, she immediately felt touched by its mission.
“I didn’t really know what THON was before because I didn’t have anything like that in Minnesota,” she said.
Over the past three years, she has participated through both her business fraternity Phi Kappa Theta and club lacrosse.
“I feel like it was fundraising focused and just pushing your donor drive out and for me, at least it was getting people from Minnesota involved in THON and teaching them about it because they didn’t understand it at all,” she said.
The club lacrosse team builds relationships with its THON families throughout the year, hosting events such as a fall pickleball tournament and inviting families to games.
“Our THON families come and watch some of our games, and we do a pickleball tournament in the fall, and we just have a couple events like that that we do to kind of get to know them and just kind of establish the foundation,” Pearson said.
Pearson’s team has been paired with Drew Herdson, 15, since 2016. She also works with the Colons family and four additional families through her fraternity.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve been saying is what a milestone this is for seniors,” she said. “My family didn’t really understand what a big deal THON is and then my sister was like, ‘Oh, this is bigger than graduation.’ This is huge…This is our Super Bowl. And it’s so cool to see people that you met freshman year, we’re corralled in one space together as seniors,” she said.
Pearson said dancing is also a personal tribute to a former teammate and friend, Kate, who died of leukemia at 13.
“I loved growing up playing lacrosse, ice hockey with her,” Pearson said. “I didn’t totally know why I picked Penn State besides Big Ten-wise, and then I experienced my first THON, and it really felt like a way that I could stay connected to her. That’s kind of why I continue to be involved, and kind of expanded my involvement. And then from dancing, I just thought that would be the best way to stay connected and honor her. And what better way to do that than through representing my teammates, which is what she was to me.”
As she prepared for the 46-hour marathon, Pearson drew strength from her teammates and lessons from sports.
“My kind of mantra I read a long time ago is ‘I am the rock on which the surf crashes,’” Pearson said. “I feel like I’ve used it in a lot of different things in my life, and it applies really well here. I have so many friends that are dancing and so really just relying on them, and having them pick me up when I need it, and me picking up them when they need it, and also just remembering, yes, 46 hours is a long time, but whether you like it or not, time passes and well, it’ll be over before I know it.”
Her teammates and fellow dancers, who have been into sports their whole lives, have been tied in their athletic abilities and knowledge into managing their fatigue and points of low-morale throughout the weekend.
“We’ve been breaking up the weekend in periods or quarters, and so if we’re struggling, we’re like, ‘You know what? We were always a second half team, so we know that we’re gonna bounce back later, even if we’re down right now,’” she said.
Pearson said grit from lacrosse is what is helping push her through the exhaustion and pain that comes with standing on your feet for 46 hours straight.
“Just grit in general, I think about on the field when I’m really gassed and tired and out of shape, but you know, you still have to have kind of a competitive spirit in a way. I’m kind of competing against myself to be able to complete this,” she said.
Pearson said the relationships built during THON matter more than the fundraising total.
“I feel like Penn State’s such a bubble, I kind of forget how to interact with people other than my direct peers, and then I’m now I’m adults and kids and everybody, and we got to find a way for everybody to be having a fun time. It’s just been great getting to know their family throughout the year, and then seeing their faces here has been awesome,” she said.
For Pearson, THON represents an ending and a beginning of her Penn State chapter. On the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center, she honors her friends, teammates and the families she has grown to know.
