Cody Garcia enters his third season as the head coach of the Mules Wrestling program in 2024-25.
Last season in 2023-24, Garcia helped coach Central Missouri to a 5-5 dual record. 184-pounder Damon Ashworth became the 67th All-American in program history after placing fifth at the NCAA Divison II Wrestling Championships. Ashworth was one of three Mules to punch tickets to the NCAA-II Championships, as Jacob Tangpricha at 125 pounds and Anthony Erickson at 157 pounds also earned spots at Division II wrestling's most prestigious event. Ashworth along with Garrett Lyons both earned All-MIAA recognition, with Ashworth posting First Team All-MIAA accolades and Lyons earning Second Team All-MIAA honors.
UCM also excelled in the classroom in 2023-24, ranking No. 9 on the NWCA Division II All-America Scholar Team. Wrestlers Jacob Tangpricha and Nolan Saale both earned sports on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Team.
Garcia joined the Mules in April 2022 after seven seasons as the head coach for NAIA wrestling powerhouse Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan.
During his seven seasons at the helm for the Wildcats, he coached 48 National Qualifiers, 19 All-Americans and five National Champions.
Prior to his stint as the head coach at Baker, Garcia was an assistant coach at Bethany College for three years before serving as the head coach in 2014. In 2014, the Swedes finished 20th at the NAIA National Championships, where Colby Crank was the 149-pound national runner-up. Seven total individuals qualified for the national championships, the highest number in program history.
In 2015, Garcia led Bethany to a second-place finish in the Kansas Cup competition inside Baker's Collins Center and helped lead 149-pound wrestler Victor Hughes to an All-America honor, the second in program history.
Garcia came to Bethany from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he served as a student assistant wrestling coach. While at Omaha, Garcia assisted the 2011 squad to an NCAA Division II National Championship.
Prior to coaching, Garcia was a member of the Omaha wrestling team, winning individual national championships in 2006 and 2008, runner-up in 2010, and finishing third in 2009. His team won National Championships in 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010.
He was a four-time All-American and Academic All-American, graduating in 2010 with a 147-18 record, the fourth-highest number of all-time career wins at UNO since 1966. His 48 wins as a senior ranked as the second-highest number in school history, and Garcia set new UNO records of 84 career pins and 31 single-season pins. He graduated from Omaha with a bachelor's degree in education.
Garcia was inducted into the NWCA Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame in February 2022 for his standout career as a student-athlete at Omaha. He is also a member of the Nebraska Omaha Athletic Hall of Fame.
Garcia and his wife, Kym, have three children: Milayna, Elyza and Adryn.
Garcia's father, Mike Garcia, wrestled for then Central Missouri State University from 1979-82 and captured the Mules first national championship, winning the 1982 title at 134 pounds. He was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
