Bio
Gary Mayabb was named associate head coach of the University of Iowa women’s wrestling team on May. 13, 2022.
2023-24
In the Hawkeyes’ inaugural season they went 16-0 in dual competition, captured the 2024 NWCA National Duals title, the NCWWC National Championship, had six individual national champions and 12 All-Americans. Senior Marylnne Deede and sophomore Kylie Welker were named finalists for USA Wrestling’s Woman Wrestler of the Year. Welker was named The Open Mat’s Female Wrestler of the Year.
Iowa hosted the first ever women’s wrestling dual inside of Carver-Hawkeye arena on November 12, 2023 where the world record for attendance at women’s wrestling event was set with 8, 207 fans.
In duals, the Hawkeyes had nine wins over NCAA ranked teams and outscored their opponents 593-108. They had two shutout wins over No. 11 Lindenwood and Missouri Valley College. In their final dual in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, they defeated NAIA National Dual Champions Life University, 35-6.
The Hawkeyes had eight NWCA scholastic All-Americans and three Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2024. The women’s wrestling program was well represented at the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials with eight student-athletes competing.
Mayabb served as manager of Greco-Roman programs for USA Wrestling from 2017-22, where he had direct oversight of the daily operations for the Greco-Roman program as well as the development in the U20-U17-U15 age groups. He was also a five-time member of the U.S. Olympic Team Training Camp staff.
As a USA Wrestling NCEP Gold Level Certified Coach, Mayabb has also been named the USA Wrestling Regional Developmental Coach of the Year, USA Wrestling Junior National Greco-Roman Coach of the Year and USA Wrestling Cadet National Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. He also served as the Missouri Cadet and Junior National Team Greco-Roman head coach from 1987-2016, where he worked with 17 champions and 71 All-Americans.
At the high school level, Mayabb served as head coach at Oak Park and Staley High Schools. He is a two-time NWCA Region Coach of the Year and State Coach of the Year, a five-time MWA State Coach of the Year and two-time NSHSAA Coach of the Year.
He led Oak Park High School to six MSHSAA team state titles, including five straight. His team was nationally ranked eight times in his tenure and his athletes won 38 individual state titles, had 96 state medalist and 145 state qualifiers.
Mayabb moved to Staley High School, becoming the first head coach in the program’s history. He led the team to a team championship in 2017, as well as four top-four finishes, six individual state titles, 34 state place finishers and 59 state qualifiers. In his career, more than 100 former student-athletes have gone on to coach at all levels.
As a competitor, Mayabb competed at the University of Central Missouri, where he was a NCAA qualifier and the MIAA Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler. The two-time team captain was a U.S. Open finalist in 1990 and a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992). He is a member of Central Missouri’s Hall of Legends and Athletic Hall of Fame, as well as other Halls of Fame in Missouri.
Mayabb has been a member of the Missouri Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Coaches Association, Collegiate Wrestling Officials Association, National Wrestling Officials Association and United States Wrestling Officials Association. He was also a collegiate official from 1985-2017, and during that time served as a Big Ten Conference official from 2006-17, and an NCAA Championships official from 2000-17. Mayabb was named a 2024 inductee into the Missouri Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as the Lifetime Service Award winner.
Mayabb graduated from Central Missouri with a degree in secondary education and he earned his master’s degree in curriculum instruction with an emphasis in psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mayabb and his wife, Dorothy, have three daughters – Katie (husband, Brent), Kelsey (husband Chris), and Breeley; and seven grandchildren: Eloise, Remy, Collins, Garner, Grady, Conley, and Gentry.