Trinity College coach leaves school to coach in California

After six seasons, Marques Gales is leaving Trinity to coach in California. (Photo courtesy Trinity College Athletics)

HARTFORD, May 22  — After six seasons at Trinity College, Marques Gales is leaving the school to become the head wrestling coach and a professor at Sacramento City College, a two-year school in California that competes in the Big 8 Conference.

“We are incredibly appreciative of Marques and the effort he put into rebuilding this wrestling program,” said Drew Galbraith, Trinity’s athletic director. “He recruited high quality young men to be a part of Trinity wrestling and mentored them throughout their careers, leading to success that we had not experienced in wrestling for many years. We will miss Marques but thank him for putting the program on solid footing as we move forward.”

The Bantams were 2-11 this year and were 14th at the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional. Gales, a California native, went 23-71 in six years with the Bantams.

Gales saw success in his first year at the helm of the program in 2013-14, as the team sent two representatives to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001. Gales was honored for his outstanding effort as one of three to share the 2014 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Rookie Coach of the Year honors.

The Bantams finished as the No. 10 ranked team in New England in 2015-16 and Trinity’s Grant Sorensen represented the college in the 2018 NCAA Division III national championships.

Sacramento State competes in the California Community College Athletic Conference (CCCAC) and went 16-2 last winter. Gales will be replacing David Pacheco, who retired after 38 years at Sacramento State.