Arelys Valles, enters year 6th at GV and since has helped coached six NWCA All-Americans honors, twenty-four NAIA All-Americans, over forty Heart of America Conference placers which includes seventeen champions and twelve Runner-Ups, and part of the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Heart of America Conference Team Champions. Along, with one UWW Junior National Champion, four UWW Junior All-American, one U23 Runner-Up, five U23 All-Americans, one Senior National Runner-Up, eight Senior National All-Americans, seven Senior World Team Trials Qualifier, one Senior World Team Trial 4th place finish, and a 2x Bill Farrell International Champion.
Valles has coached at the 2023 Pan-American Championship in Argentina and 2023 Pan-American Games in Chile for alumni, Mahealani Ramirez ‘24, who represent Team Uruguay. Along with being selected as the ISF U15 Rio de Janeiro Head Women’s Coach which the girls team took 1st place. In October 2024, Valles will once again be the ISF U17 Bahrain Head Women’s Coach.
In 2021 and 2023, Valles was voted the Heart of America Conference Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2023, Valles was voted AAU Iowa Women’s Wrestling Coach of the Year.
Aside from coaching at GV, Valles is the Head Girl’s Coach/Director of Grand View Wrestling Club out of Des Moines, IA and Head Girl’s Coach of Raccoon River Youth Club out of Waukee, IA.
Before coming to Grand View University, Valles was the Head Women’s Wrestling Coach at Brewton-Parker College. In her first season, Valles coached the programs first-ever WCWA All-American, Mid-South Conference Champion, voted Mid-South Conference Freshmen of the Year, along with her athlete being a Puerto Rican National Team Member.
As a collegiate and senior level athlete, Valles was a 2x WCWA All-American, 4x WCWA National qualifier, 2018 Bill Farrell International Open Champion, 2023 Bill Farrell International Open Bronze medalist, 3x Senior National All-American, 4x Senior World Team Trial Challenge Qualifier, and New York Athletic Club sponsor athlete.
Valles wrestled for the University of the Cumberlands and received both undergraduate and graduate degrees. In 2017, received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science and Public Health then the following year 2018 received her Master of Science in Coaching.
Arelys Valles was born in Havana, Cuba, however, is a native of Clewiston, FL.
