KENT, Ohio -- Fred Garcia joined Coach Moore's staff in July 2025 as an assistant coach, following Josh Moore from Cleveland State.

"Fred and I share a strong coaching philosophy and an even stronger bond beyond the mat," said Moore. "I'm excited to have him join me as we continue our shared mission of changing lives and developing future leaders."

Before Kent State, Garcia spent the last two seasons at Cleveland State, serving on Coach Moore's staff. Garcia spent five seasons at Binghamton University and three years at Cleveland State before that.

During the 2024-25 season, Garcia helped Daniel Bucknavich qualify for the NCAA Championships.

In the 2023-24 season, Garcia helped Ben Smith capture his second MAC Championship at 197-pounds and qualify for his third NCAA Championship. He also aided Daniel Bucknavich, finishing as the runner-up at 285-pounds to earn his first NCAA Championship spot. The Vikings finished tenth overall at the 2024 MAC Championships with five placers. The Green and White were 8-8 overall and 6-3 in the MAC for the year. Off the mat, Cleveland State finished with the second-best GPA in Division 1 with a 3.57 GPA and had six individual Scholar All-Americans. The Green and White led the MAC with 11 All-Academic honorees.

Before returning to Cleveland State, Garcia spent five seasons at Binghamton, assisting with three EIWA Champions and 16 NCAA qualifiers. In his final season at Binghamton, three guys 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. Four guys qualified for the NCAA Championships the following year, while DePrez won the EIWA and finished eighth at the NCAA tournament. His first season saw four guys 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. Corba won two bonus-point matches at the championships, 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, Pennsylvania, and resides in Avon Lake with his wife, Megan, his daughter, Graham, and his two corgis, Rose & Buddy. Garcia earned his Bachelor of Science from Lock Haven and his master's in sports management from Cleveland State.