Hudson Santana: The Scarlet, The Gray, and The Lamé

By: Chantal Brown

When it seemed like the world had him beat, Hudson Santana was able to let his guard down at Ohio State.

Hudson Santana, a third-year in finance and fencer for Ohio State’s fencing team, went from being the sport's most nomadic contender to racking up academic and athletic achievements with the stability of the Ohio State community.

Santana, a Bronx, New York native, said he was no different than the average young man, dreaming of going to the NBA. When he was 11 years old, Santana’s mother took him to world-renowned fencing coach, Mika’il Sankofa. 

After meeting Sankofa, Santana said he went on to compete in junior and cadet fencing competitions. He qualified four consecutive years for Puerto Rico’s, his home country, senior olympic team and junior national team. 

Just as he was hitting the international fencing scene, tragedy struck after Santana’s father passed in 2014. Him and his mother struggled to raise enough money to buy plane tickets for competitions that were held out of the country, let alone hotels and equipment.

“If I didn’t have fencing, I do not know if I would be so adaptable and be able to change to my environment like I’ve had to over the course of my life after my dad’s passing,” Santana said. “Fencing really made me just have a way better understanding of myself and my surroundings.” 

Since Santana has been fencing internationally, he said he has traveled to and lived in over 10 different countries. Kamar Skeete, Santana’s fellow USA fencing team member, has shared some of these experiences with Santana. The two have done it all, from training together in Italy to quarantining together in Atlanta, Georgia.

“He’s one of my favorite people and least favorite people to compete against,” Skeete said.

“Every ripple through his life affected me in one way or another, so seeing his trajectory and career growth as an athlete — and as a friend — has been tremendous.” 

Yet as his competitions and family life grew harder, so did he. Santana said he was upset by how disadvantaged he felt, compared to other fencers in his division.

“I came in super skinny, wasn't really eating, didn’t have a good sleeping routine, didn’t really have any type of routine. I never really knew what that looked like so to come in and have such structure was game changing for me,” Santana said.

Donald Anthony Jr., Ohio State’s fencing head coach and president and chairman of USA Fencing, Santana could overcome his disciplinary issues.

 “Even though he was really good, they (the fencing community) weren’t really sure if they could manage that side of the equation. So, we took a chance on him and, you know, it’s been challenging, but he has really come a long way," Anthony Jr. said.

Santana was Anthony Jr.’s first recruit when he became coach of the Ohio State fencing team.  Anthony Jr.said Santana was invited to join the team after Anthony Jr. saw him compete in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos, Aries, where Santana finished top 10 in the world. 

Once Santana’s sword touched the tip of Ohio State, he soon realized that the university had more to offer him than a consistent mailing address. 

Santana said he has had over six internships within the past two years, been named Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten, and finished in the top 10 at two NCAA regional competitions.

“It’s like a culture shock, because I was coming from overseas in Argentina, Canada — - I was doing everything. And finally having a home base really propelled my life,” Santana said

Beyond his medals and diplomas however, Santana has learned  invaluable lessons  from fencing that go beyond his observable achievements.

“On one end it teaches you how to lose and rebound; teaches you how to think fast on your feet; teaches you how to be analytical and how to make calculated decisions, and I think those are all things that I’ve seen Hudson kind of exercise over the last couple of years and he’s gotten really sharp at it, so I’m excited to see where it goes,” Darryl Homer, Olympic sabre fencer and mentor to Santana, said.

By this time next year, Santana said he hopes to have graduated from Ohio State, and plans to attend graduate school in the United Kingdom as he continues to train and compete.

“You know in fencing there’s no one else to blame. You can’t pass the ball to anybody, so if you lose the touch or if you get a touch then it’s all on you,” Santana said. “So you’re gonna feel the best ever and you’re gonna feel the worse ever, no one’s accountable but yourself.”