SUNY Oswego Athletics chose Charlie Grygas and Sela Wiley as the athletes of the month for Oswego State. 

Grygas is a senior Lakers wrestling athlete who has achieved incredible achievements, such as becoming the university’s wrestling all-time wins leader. 

Wiley is a senior Lakers lacrosse athlete who has also attained astonishing individual and team accomplishments. 

Starting with the beginning of their careers. Grygas grew up in Delanson, New York, a tiny town. He started wrestling early, at about five years old. Everything started with his dad, a big wrestling fan who always encouraged him to do it. “I always admired the sport but didn’t exactly love it until I started seeing results,” Grygas said. 

On the other hand, Wiley has always loved sports in general. She grew up playing ice hockey and soccer.

 “Sports have always been a major part of my life,” Wiley said. Wiley started playing lacrosse in 4th grade when she moved to Connecticut from St. Louis, Missouri, and fell in love with it. Her inspiration was her older sister. “I wanted to be just like her,” Wiley said. 

None of them got to where they are now without effort. Wiley’s and Charlie’s coach thinks highly of his off-the-field efforts. “Charlie’s work ethic is phenomenal,” said Michael Howard, wrestling head coach. “He gets the most out of every training session that we have, and it doesn’t matter what we are doing.”

“Sela is a very driven person,” said Brittany Howard, women’s lacrosse head coach. “If she makes a mistake in the classroom or on the field, she is going to work ten times harder to fix it.” Both athletes will be in the Lakers’ memories forever, and their incredible milestones made them chosen for this month’s best. 

Wiley is one of the team’s captains and started the season atop the SUNYAC in points and assists. She started all 11 games this season and scored 29 goals with 19 assists. Wiley also has 64 draw controls and 24 ground balls, recently achieving 200 ground balls and 200 points in his career. 

Grygas was chosen after a great season that ended with 38-6 games. He finished first at SUNYAC and NYS and was named wrestler of the year. Crygas was also named NCAA all-American for the third time, finishing fifth. 

One of the greatest moments of Grygas’ career will be the record number of victories he scored, leaving his mark on history. 

“It feels good to know some part of me is cemented in Oswego when I leave,” said Grygas about the feeling of being in Oswego’s history. “It feels good to leave my footprint here.” 

“Charlie is definitely up there as one of the best wrestlers that have competed at Oswego since I have been the head coach,” Mike said. 

“On the field, she is a constant threat as she is a playmaker on both sides of the ball,” Brittany said. “Offensively, she has her head up looking for feeds, but she can drive and finish. Her records and accolades express the impact she has had on our program.” 

“Receiving recognition is always a good feeling, but it has never controlled the way I play,” Wiley said. “I do my best to work together with everyone and be a team player. I would

not be able to perform without the other people next to me on the field. Every single one of our 21 players has a key role in our success.” 

Off the field, these stars are also highly praised. 

“As an athlete he is a competitor he competes at everything but with that being said he has a calm demeanor and is very easy to talk with,” Mike said. “He has a great personality and cares deeply about his teammates, coaches, friends and family. He is a natural leader and he leads by example.” 

“She has a great personality as well,” Brittany said. “She always walks into my office with this little funny smile on and says, ‘what’s on the agenda today coach?’ All of the coaches in the building love her. They love her friendliness, competitiveness and just overall personality. She is always volunteering to help out in the department and I think that’s huge for a program.” 

Thinking about the future, they still plan to help the sport they are part of, but from a different side this time. “Looking forward, I’m hoping to coach youth lacrosse in the Buffalo area,” Wiley said. “I have always loved coaching and feel like it would be a great way for me to continue to be involved with the sport I love.” 

“I think I will always be a competitor at heart,” Grygas said. “The way I have been raised and grown up is to be someone who loves to compete, whether it’s wrestling or something else. I think I will also be a coach at some point. I have done coaching before, and I love feeling like I’m helping other people become better.”  

Photo by: Oswego Athletics