A wrestler has to know his own body and few have a grasp on the human anatomy the way Greens Farms Academy senior C.J. Shea does.
Shea will wrestle for the Cardinals starting in the fall of 2021 while also pursuing a pre-med degree. It is the start of a journey, he hopes, will help him become a doctor.
“Wesleyan has an amazing pre-med program and I want to go to med school,” Shea confirmed.
As an athlete, Shea became more in tune with his own body, and realized he was on the path to his future.
“I just got into anatomy and the human body, the biomechanics of it,” he said. “I thought about being a physical therapist.”
GFA wrestling coach Jack Conroy then introduced Shea to GFA alumnus Dave Trofa '03, an orthopedic surgeon at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center.
“I looked into it and just fell in love with the idea,” Shea said. “The human body just interests me a lot.”
Heading into his senior season, Shea, a three-year team captain, is a three-time New England placer and two-time finalist, a two-time Prep state champion and three-time finalist, a three-time FAA league Champion, and an NWCA Academic All-American.
“C.J. is a kid whose leadership is tangible on and off the mat for us," Conroy said. "He is a great wrestler who understands the importance of academics. We are very proud of him.”
It was a connection with the Wesleyan wrestling coach that helped seal the deal.
“I know of the coach and he’s a good guy,” Shea said. “I visited campus and thought it was nice. All those things lined up and I picked the school.”
Like GFA, Wesleyan has had some wrestlers find a lot of individual success on the mats —Shea is looking to help build the Wesleyan program, as well.