Bio

Marilyn Garcia joins the staff as Assistant Women's Wrestling Coach, bringing both elite competitive experience and diverse coaching expertise. A native of Van Nuys, California, Garcia has deep roots in her community and is passionate about developing women's wrestling while giving back to her community. A 2022 Senior National Team Member and 2024 Olympic hopeful, Garcia has represented Team USA at multiple international competitions, securing silver at the 2023 Dan Kolov/Nikola Petrov International in Bulgaria and fifth at the 2024 Yasar Dogu International in Turkey. She recently took bronze at the Bill Farrell International and is also making waves in beach wrestling as the 2024 USA Beach National Champion and Beach World Team Member.

Garcia's coaching experience includes roles at Birmingham High School, where she has helped develop multiple state placers, and Beat the Streets Los Angeles, where she focuses on youth development in underserved communities. Her background spans both athletics and business, earning her accounting degree from Menlo College. 

During her own competitive career at Menlo College, Garcia was an NAIA National Champion in 2019, building on her earlier success as a CIF State Runner Up in 2016. When not coaching or competing, she continues to train and mentor young athletes, sharing her passion for wrestling and its potential to build character and leadership skills. Her ultimate goal is to strengthen the foundation of women's wrestling and create more opportunities for female athletes in her community and beyond.