Wagner College has announced the addition of veteran coach and accomplished former athlete Alberto Garcia to its cross country and track & field staff. Garcia brings decades of coaching and competitive experience to the Seahawks program, joining under the leadership of head coach Marvin Azor.
"Wagner College has a rich tradition in cross country, track and field that was led by former coach Joe Stasi," said Garcia. "Wagner has always been a magnet for academic and athletic excellence. I am humbled and honored that Coach Azor asked me to join the program. I look forward to continuing the winning traditions in cross country and track & field at Wagner College.”
Most recently, Garcia served on the coaching staff at Manhattan College, where he led the Jaspers’ jumpers to outstanding performances at both the Indoor and Outdoor MAAC Championships. His athletes scored 34 points indoors, including: Gold in the men’s long jump, silver in the men’s high jump, runner-up in the men’s triple jump. The team also earned men’s "Rookie of the Field" honors.
At the Outdoor MAAC Championship, Garcia's group contributed to a third-place team finish, highlighted by a gold medal in the long jump and a bronze in high jump. On the women’s side, every athlete under his guidance recorded a personal best and qualified for the ECAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. His jumpers also helped secure a seventh-place team finish at the Indoor IC4A, scoring in both the long jump and high jump events. In 2025, Garcia coached six jumpers to qualify for the prestigious Penn Relays.
Garcia's coaching resume includes stints at several respected programs. From 1988 to 1994, he served at LIU, and more recently, from 2021 to 2023, at St. Francis College Brooklyn. During his tenure at St. Francis, he played a key role in elevating the team’s performance across cross country, indoor, and outdoor seasons, with all runners achieving personal bests under his leadership.
A cornerstone of Garcia’s coaching legacy was built at Notre Dame Academy (NDA) of Staten Island, where he served from 2008 to 2014 as an assistant before becoming head coach through 2021. While at the helm, Garcia led NDA to unprecedented success:
- Seven consecutive Indoor and Outdoor CHSAA City Championships
- A five-year unbeaten streak in cross country, indoor, and outdoor competition
- Five CHSAA Catholic High School State Titles in cross country
- The best finish ever by a CHSAA team at the NYS XC Federation Meet
- A win at the championship section of the XC Brown Invitational
- Annual appearances at Nationals, including an All-American DMR relay in 2019 (11:59)
- Over 50 titles during his tenure at NDA
Garcia also co-founded the Island Express Youth XCTF team in Staten Island, developing youth talent in the region for many years.
As an athlete, Garcia was a standout at Mount St. Michael Academy, where he:
- Won three CHSAA titles
- Finished as NYS runner-up in the indoor 1600m (1984)
- Clocked 4:12 in the 1600m and 12:37 on the 2.5-mile Van Cortlandt Park course—one of the fastest times ever by a Catholic-school athlete and still ranked top 25 all-time in CHSAA history.
He went on to star at St. John's University, with personal bests of: 3:48 in the 1500m, 8:18 in the 3000m and 14:26 in the 5000m
Garcia helped set a New York State Graduate Record in the 4x1500m relay and delivered a standout performance at the 1987 Big East Championships, scoring in the steeplechase, 5K, and 4x800m relay to help St. John's capture the team title.
His competitive career peaked when he won the Metropolitan Mercedes Mile on Fifth Avenue in 1988 and captured the National 1500m title for Puerto Rico in 1989.
Garcia comes from a true track & field dynasty. His wife, Youree Spence-Garcia, is a St. John’s University Hall of Famer, and her legacy continues through the annual Youree Spence-Garcia Invitational held at Ocean Breeze. All four of their daughters — Pariis, Brianne, Ariella, and Sofia — competed in Division I Track and Field, with two of them qualifying for the prestigious NCAA Regionals. The Garcia household isn’t just passionate about the sport — it lives and breathes it.
