Bio

Head Coach Marques Gales is entering his 7th year at Sacramento City College and 4th season as the Women’s Head Coach, after launching the program as a club in 2022. During his tenure so far, he has coached the Women’s program to two BIG 8 Championships, three top-five team finishes at the State Championships, and was voted BIG 8 Conference Coach of the Year (2024). For individuals, Gales has coached 6 All-Americans and 14 Academic All-Americans. He is a USA Wrestling Bronze and Teal Certified Coach. Gales is also a tenured professor of Kinesiology at Sac City and serves on several campus committees.

Prior to Sacramento City College, Gales was the Head Coach at Trinity College, an NCAA Division III University in Hartford, CT.  Marques was named as the 2014 NCAA Division III Rookie Head Coach of the Year while at Trinity, coached 3 National Qualifiers, and 6 Scholar All-Americans. He was also the Executive Director of the Connecticut Chapter of Beat The Streets Wrestling - a non-profit organization centered on youth wrestling, physical activity, community service and community collaboration.

Prior to Trinity, He was an Assistant Coach at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he coached 6 All-Americans, including a Division III National Champion and received his M.S. in Sport and Exercise Psychology. He received his B.S. in Kinesiology, Physical Education from San Francisco State University, where he was a 2-time Regional Place-winner, Division II National Qualifier, and Scholar All-American. At San Francisco State, he was one of 30 student athletes in the country invited to the United States Olympic Training Center “Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere” (F.L.A.M.E.) Program, which consisted of student athletes seeking leadership positions in the Sporting Industry. In addition, he received an A.S. from Santa Rosa Junior College, where he was also a 2-time Junior College State Place-winner, Scholar All-American, and Team Captain. He is a native of Fairfield and attended Armijo HS.

Gales has just completed his first term as President of the California Community College Wrestling Coaches Association (CCCWCA). During his tenure, he helped launch Women’s Wrestling as a sanctioned 3C2A sport, assisted with aligning the 3C2A Wrestling rules with NCAA rules, established committees within the state coaching body, streamlined the association’s communication and technology, and created an instagram page for the Coaches Association (@cccwca_wrestling). Gales resides in Elk Grove with his wife, Alicia, sons, Braylen and Donovan, and dog, Rafiki.