McAlester inducting new members Sellmeyer-Lynch, Wadley into Athletics Hall of Fame Friday
Nov. 27—The storied history of Buffalo athletics will gain two new members into the McAlester Athletics Hall of Fame with the 2023 induction at Friday's basketball home opener at the McAlester Activity Center.
Andrea Lynch (née Sellmeyer) and James Wadley will be the latest former members of Buffalo sports programs added to the storied Athletic Hall of Fame for their efforts at McAlester.
Lynch is a 2006 graduate of McAlester High School, competing in multiple sports in her time as a Lady Buff. She was a four-year member of both the golf and volleyball programs, and played one year of basketball.
She was a member of the 2003 Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association state academic champion girls golf team, as well and the 2004 and 2005 OSSAA state academic champion volleyball teams. She was also a member of the Lady Buffs 2005 OSSAA volleyball regional champion and 5A state runners-up team.
Lynch was a four-year state qualifier in girls golf, earning third, fourth, 10th, and 12th place finishes. Overall in her golf career, she earned 30 top-10 finishes individually, including 24 top-4 finishes and eight wins.
Lynch earned All-State first team status in both golf and volleyball her senior year, as well as academic all-state honors.
After her high school career, Lynch played college golf for the University of Oklahoma for four years. She earned numerous awards as a Sooner, including being named to the named to the Academic All-Big 12 Women's Golf First Team in 2010.
Lynch graduated OU with a bachelor's in health and exercise science in 2010 where she earned summa cum laude honors for her 4.0 GPA. She later earned master's degrees in both nutritional sciences and dietetics in 2011.
Wadley is a 1964 graduate of McAlester, where he and doubles partner David Bryant were two-time OSSAA state champions. He also participated in football and basketball.
Following his high school graduation, Wadley earned a scholarship to play college tennis at Southeastern Oklahoma State College. He was a two-time NAIA All-American, leading the school to four straight conference title and four consecutive appearances in the NAIA National Tournament.
Wadley graduated from Southeastern, taking the coaching job at Duncan High School After a successful stint at the helm, Wadley was hired as the head coach of the Oklahoma State University men's tennis program.
Wadley and the Cowboys won more than 650 duals in his career, with 17 NCAA tournament appearances and 12 conference titles. He was named the regional coach of the year and a national finalist for coach of the year 11 times, and conference coach of the year 13 times.
The decade from 1978-1987 is known as the "Decade of Dominance" as the Cowboys went 65-2 in conference matches during that time. Wadley also led OSU to a record of 20 consecutive Bedlam wins from 1995-2010, and took the Cowboys to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament five times before any other state school reached it once.
Wadley retired from coaching in 2012 after 40 years at OSU — marking a career as one of the longest-tenured coaches in the university's history. He is a member of the Southeastern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame, Missouri Valley Tennis Hall of Fame, and Oklahoma Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 2023 induction ceremony is set to take place at halftime of the Lady Buffaloes basketball game, which will tip off Friday at 6:30 p.m. inside the McAlester Activity Center.
For more information on the McAlester Athletics Hall of Fame, visit mcalesterathletics.org or call the athletic department office at 918-423-8128.
