Emily Sullivan | Staff Writer | esullivan4@mail.smcvt.edu
Tucked away in the back of the gym above the bleachers, the varsity weight room stands with rows of benches and squat + rack neatly arranged in a line patiently waiting for the athletes to come in. The further back you venture, you will discover the head of strength and conditioning at St. Michael’s: Coach Greg Wilson. Often, one can find him in the center of the action with a smile on his face, instructing his athletes to grow stronger. For the past three years, Coach Wilson has held the solo position of strength and conditioning coaching at St. Michael’s for the 21 teams and nearly 450 athletes.
A typical day for Coach Wilson starts before the sun comes up, as there is often a team scheduled to lift at 6 a.m. followed by other teams until 10 a.m. From 10 a.m. to around 3 p.m., there are open hours in the gym for athletes who may not be able to make their team’s scheduled time. Following the morning rush, Wilson likes to get a small workout in for himself before his day picks up again from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., when more teams lift in the evening. “It could be a 13 hour day, could be a five hour day. You just never know what’s happening,” Wilson said. One important aspect of Coach Wilson’s job is organizing a schedule that fits all the need of teams and athletes. Wilson said he takes many things into consideration when creating a routine for the teams he coaches, like whether they are early risers, if they like to lift before or after practice, or if a large majority of the team have class at the same time. “Now that I’ve been here for three years, I kind of see the trends of where people like to be, so when it comes to scheduling, I’m prepared,” Wilson said.
Within the different teams, Wilson has different methods to go about each day of training. Lifts can be carefully designed to benefit and fit the needs of each individual athlete, especially considering whether they are in or out of season. During a team’s pre-season, he focuses onc specific workouts that align with the motions and movements that the players will be doing in games. This differs from training done in the off season, when there is a higher focus on fitness and strength.
Wilson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Lynchburg in Virginia in exercise physiology in 2014, and returned in 2020 to complete a masters in public health. After college, Wilson worked as a strength and conditioning coach at Newberry College in South Carolina along with his alma mater, the University of Lynchburg.
Outside of coaching at St. Michael’s, Wilson loves and cares for his dogs, which he sometimes brings into the weight room. He enjoys cooking his meals for the day, along with practicing his pickleball skills.
Ryan Canty ’26, is a current member of the baseball team who interned for Coach Wilson in 2023. Canty describes Wilson as “all positive,” along with being someone who “makes you look at how you can achieve your goals.” During his internship, Canty shadowed Wilson throughout his day, and at the end of the internship he worked with clients to design a personal training plan. “The positive reinforcement [Wilson] gave [me] from that, and telling me that I was going to be a great trainer really gave me confidence,” Canty said.
Joelle Cameron, ’26, a member of the St. Michael’s field hockey team, is one of the strongest female athletes on campus with a trap bar deadlift of 415 lbs. Like many freshmen coming to college, Cameron did not have much strength and conditioning experience, but Coach Wilson created a welcoming environment to fail and grow. “I learned that I can deadlift a lot,” Cameron said. Cameron also talked about how under Wilson’s training, he taught her to push herself, and now she is able to find hidden strength to continue and get stronger. This training has then transferred to Cameron’s work as one of the goalies on the team with improvements on the field getting ready for her senior season.
“He’s one of the best strength and conditioning coaches I’ve had,” Cameron said. “He really makes the environment welcoming, no judgment. It’s like a better version of Planet Fitness.” Cameron talks highly of the calm environment Wilson is able to create despite the hectic energy of the weight room.
In the future, Wilson hopes that the athletic department will continue to grow and make connections to other exercise science programs to be able to teach more interns to expand the program’s capability. Overall, a majority of athletes on campus speak about the numerous benefits and growth they have seen in themselves with the inclusion of Coach Wilson’s training. Whether it’s helping athletes grow stronger, being a safe person to talk to, or finding an organization in the chaos, there is really one man for the job.