Getting to Know: Seleash Ngugi

Seleash Ngugi is a senior and a member of the Girls Wrestling and the Girls Soccer teams at Penn. 

What got you into Wrestling?: Family and my curiosity for the sport. 

Who inspires you?: My coaches and my teammates. 

What is your favorite part about being on the wrestling team?: The practices and the bus rides because we all become very close during those times.

What are your goals for the wrestling season?: My goals for this season is to try to make it past regionals and go to state again.

What’s your favorite memory from last season?: My favorite memory is when we lifted in the weight room and everyone was screaming “get buff!” and just motivating everyone while lifting or when we get our motivational meeting with a speaker. 

What do you plan on doing after high school?: I plan to go to college and get my nursing degrees and go back to school and become a surgeon.

What traits do you think are important in a teammate?: The main traits I think that are important in a teammate are being positive, hardworking, kindness, and overall an open-minded person.

Who is your wrestling idol?: My wrestling idol would be coach Hilde or Coach Selis because they are some of the coaches I am closest with and talk with the most. 

What is the most important thing that you have learned from being on the team?: The most important thing I’ve learned from being on the team is that in adversity strive to be the best you can be. For example, my first year of wrestling I lost all my matches and I cried but in that moment I put away my feelings of failure focused on encouraging my teammates to do better during their matches because I didn’t want anyone’s energy to go away.

Do you have any pre-match rituals to prepare?: I don’t have any pre match rituals, really all I do is just tell myself a goal I want to work on during the match and that way I am able to calm my nerves and do the best I can do, the win is the cherry on top.