McKendree’s Alexio Garcia named WIN’s Terry Steiner Coach of the Year

Photo: Alexio Garcia coaching at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Championships in Coralville, Iowa. Photo by Justin Hoch.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH TERRY STEINER COACH OF THE YEAR ALEXIO GARCIA.

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Annual Awards Issue, which published May 5, 2026. Subscribe to WIN Magazine using promo code Awards Issue to start a subscription with our May Awards/U.S. Open Issue.

By Tristan Warner

For Alexio Garcia, the recognition is appreciated, but it is far from the finish line.

“It’s an honor,” Garcia said. “As coaches, this (winning nationals/peaking in postseason) is kind of what we look forward to … but sometimes the season becomes a blur, and you don’t take enough time to actually appreciate it.”

That “blur” turned into one of the most significant seasons in the history of women’s collegiate wrestling.

Garcia, named WIN Magazine’s inaugural 2026 Terry Steiner National Women’s Coach of the Year, guided McKendree to the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships team title — a landmark moment for the sport. The Bearcats crowned three individual champions, placed five finalists, and put nine wrestlers into the semifinals en route to a dominant performance on the biggest stage women’s college wrestling has ever seen.

The award is named after Terry Steiner, who has served as the U.S. Women’s National Coach since 2002. Under Steiner’s guidance, Team USA women have earned four Olympic gold medals, three silver, and six bronze spanning six Olympic Games to go with 17 gold, 17 silver, and 31 bronze medals at 18 World Championship events.

“Coach Garcia has consistently put together a championship caliber team at McKendree University,” Steiner said. “This year, the inaugural year of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship, Garcia once again not only met expectations but exceeded them to win the first NCAA women’s wrestling crown!

“Knowing the competitiveness of Coach Alexio Garcia, he will continue to work to set the standard for NCAA women’s wrestling. Congratulations to Alexio and his staff!”

For Garcia, the championship was years in the making.

“When we got here four years ago, we said this is very much a possibility,” Garcia said. “It’s just going to take time to build it — the philosophy, the structure, the culture and environment.”

That culture became the foundation of everything. Rather than obsessing over titles, Garcia and his staff emphasized daily performance and consistency, a mindset that ultimately separated McKendree from the field.

“We didn’t talk about winning a national title,” Garcia said. “We talked about performing at our best every single day … being where our feet are and being a lot more consistent than everyone else.”

That approach paid off when it mattered most. After qualifying all 10 wrestlers for nationals with a perfect regional performance, as all 10 Bearcats won individual region titles, Garcia’s squad entered the NCAA Championships confident but not complacent.

Even early in the tournament, Garcia could sense something special.

“We went 19-1 the first day, and the girls knew to just keep their heads down and get to work,” he said.

The dominance didn’t come without adversity. A narrow loss to North Central at the 2026 NWCA Multi-Division National Duals in early January along with another close defeat later in the season, to Iowa at the For Her Duals, served as turning points rather than setbacks.

“After that, we had a crossroad,” Garcia said. “Sometimes you can be perfect, but if you never get exposed, it’s not going to help you … those were things we needed to see. It was a blessing in disguise. You can’t hide from competition … you’ve got to see it.”

Garcia points to three core pillars behind the title run: “culture, accountability, and good energy.”

“If it’s not me, I hope it’s you,” Garcia said of his team’s mindset. “That’s what you need when people want to win national titles and make World Teams.”

And on the sport’s biggest stage, under the NCAA banner, everything felt different.

“When you see NCAA on it, it’s not just like we know … now everyone knows,” Garcia said. “Even walking in, I was like, ‘Dang, this is legit. This is real.’”

That stage produced unforgettable performances, including a historic fifth national title for Cameron Guerin and dominant runs from McKendree’s champions — all reflections of a program peaking at precisely the right time.

Still, Garcia’s focus quickly shifted forward.

“It didn’t even set in until about three weeks later,” he said. “I walk by the trophy and I’m like, ‘Dang, that’s pretty cool … we’ve got to do it again.’”

That relentless mindset is part of what makes Garcia deserving of the Terry Steiner honor. For him, success isn’t defined by a single championship but by sustained excellence and the pursuit of something even greater.

“I don’t even know if it’s about winning,” Garcia said. “I think it’s about dominating, putting a gap between us and everyone else.”

“I’m very obsessed,” he said. “I love wrestling. I could do it forever.”

And if the 2026 season proved anything, it’s that under Garcia’s leadership, McKendree isn’t just chasing history. The Bearcats are rewriting it.