By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

COLORADO SPRINGS – Brazel Marquez (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC) has been named the 2025 USA Wrestling Women’s Freestyle Coach of the Year. This is the first time Marquez has won the prestigious honor.

Marquez is the head women’s wrestling coach at Lehigh University and coaches women with the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Regional Training Center based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The Lehigh women’s wrestling program placed three individuals on the 2025 U20 World Championships team that competed in Samokov, Bulgaria—Audrey Jimenez earned a silver medal at 50 kg, while Abbi Cooper earned fifth place at 53 kg and Aubre Krazer placed fifth at 59 kg. Jimenez was also a member of the 2025 Senior and U23 World Teams. She was a silver medalist at the U23 Worlds in Novi Sad, Serbia, bringing her career total of age-group World medals to six.

Marquez took on an active role coaching U.S. teams on the international level in 2025. In addition to coaching her trio of Lehigh athletes at the U20 World Championships, Marquez led a team of four women at the 2025 Grand Prix of Spain held in Madrid, Spain, with all four collecting a medal.

Since 2022, Marquez has been at the helm of the Lehigh University women’s wrestling program and was instrumental in the program’s transition from a club to a varsity sport. Lehigh announced women’s wrestling as its 26th varsity sport in May 2025 and was the sixth NCAA Division I institution to add women’s wrestling. Lehigh took on its first year as an NCAA varsity program during the 2025-26 season, where the Mountain Hawks posted a 15-2 dual meet record, placed sixth at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships, saw Jimenez, Cooper and Krazer reach All-America status, and had Jimenez become the program’s first individual NCAA champion.

Prior to her build at Lehigh, Marquez held coaching positions at Vanguard University, Emmanuel College, Menlo College and Wyoming Seminary.

As an athlete, Marquez was a two-time WCWA All-American, starting her career at King University before transferring to Menlo College, where she graduated with a degree in psychology in 2016. She was a three-time All-American and finalist at the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals held annually in Fargo, N.D. She won the 2010 Body Bar Women’s Nationals in the FILA Cadet (UWW U17) division.

Marquez was presented the 2025 USA Wrestling Women’s Freestyle Coach of the Year award at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships.

Women's Freestyle Coach of the Year Award Winners 

2025 – Brazel Marquez, Bethlehem, Pa., Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC

2024 - Clarissa Chun, Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa Women’s WC and Sara McMann, Antelope, Calif.

2023 – Clarissa Chun, Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa Women’s WC

2022 – Nate Engel, Corvallis, Ore., Beaver Dam RTC

2021 – Nate Engel, Corvallis, Ore., Beaver Dam RTC

2020 - No award (COVID-19)

2019 - Vladislav "Izzy" Izboinikov, Colorado Springs, Colo., Titan Mercury WC

2018 - Troy Steiner, Fresno, Calif., Valley RTC

2017 – John Smith, Stillwater, Okla. and Cary Kolat, Buies Creek, N.C.

2016 – Valentin Kalika, New York, N.Y., Titan Mercury WC

2015 – Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2014 – Afsoon Johnston, San Diego, Calif.

2013 – Archie Randall, Mustang, Okla., OKCU Gator Women’s RTC

2012 – Vladislav “Izzy” Izboinikov, Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Wrestling

2011 – Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC

2010 – Keith Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2009 – Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC

2008 - Tadaaki Hatta, Elyria, Ohio, New York AC

2007 - Troy Steiner, Corvallis, Ore.

2006 - Joe Corso, Metairie, La., Gator WC

2005 - Bill Scherr, Glenview, Ill., Sunkist Kids

2004 - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

2003 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

2002 - Joe Corso, Des Moines, Iowa, Sunkist Kids