CLEVELAND, Ohio – Head coach Josh Moore has announced the hiring of Fred Garcia as an assistant coach for the Vikings wrestling program.
Garcia returns to Cleveland State after spending the last five years as an assistant coach at Binghamton University.
"I'm excited to welcome Fred back to Cleveland State," said Coach Moore. "Fred is an experienced coach that will play a key role in the development of our student-athletes."
In his five seasons at Binghamton, Garcia assisted with three EIWA Champions and 16 NCAA qualifiers.
"I couldn't be more excited to be coming back to Cleveland State and working with Coach Moore," said Garcia. "I felt it was the right time for my family and me to move back to Northeast Ohio. I am very appreciative to Coach Moore for the opportunity and ready to get to work with the team!"
In his final season at Binghamton, three wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships. Cory Day (285 Pounds) finished as the runner-up at the Southern Scuffle, while Jacob Nolan (184 Pounds) was the runner-up at the EIWA tournament and reached the Round of 16 at the NCAAs.
During the 2021-22 season, four wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Championships. Lou DePrez (197 Pounds) won the EIWA and advanced to the Round of 12 at the NCAAs. Joe Doyle (285 Pounds) placed third at EIWA and finished in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships.
In 2019-20, Garcia aided in three NCAA qualifiers, including Lou DePrez, becoming the first NCAA All-American since 2012. In addition, DePrez won the Southern Scuffle, EIWA, and was the fourth seed at the NCAA Championships. The following year, four wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships, while DePrez won the EIWA and finished eighth at the NCAA tournament.
His first season saw four wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, with Lou DePrez (184 Pounds) placing third at the EIWA Championships and reaching the Round of 12 in the NCAAs.
Garcia began his coaching career at Cleveland State, starting as a graduate assistant before transitioning into an assistant role during the 2017-18 season.
Garcia aided Nick Corba (184 pounds) in qualifying for the 2017 NCAA Championships. At the championships, Corba won two bonus-point matches, an achievement that hadn't been done since 1995.
In his first season, Garcia helped Riley Shaw and Sam Wheeler qualify for the NCAA Championships, with each advancing to the Round of 16. In addition, both wrestlers recorded 30+ wins on the season with Shaw winning an EWL title.
Garcia graduated from Lock Haven University as a three-time EWL runner-up and won one PSAC Championship. In his time, he recorded over 100 victories and made three trips to the NCAA Championships.
Garcia is a native of Donora, PA, where he was an All-Conference athlete in both wrestling and baseball at Ringgold High School.
