University of Montevallo Athletics

Michael Land enters his fourth season as the assistant coach of the Montevallo wrestling program.

Land has been a key part of Montevallo’s early success at the national level. In the program’s first season, the Falcons produced their first NCAA national champion in Gabe Hixenbaugh at 133 pounds. In 2024-25, Montevallo sent two wrestlers to the NCAA Championships (Colt Brown and Jake Chisolm). In 2025-26, the Falcons reached a program-best three national qualifiers (Cole Hunt, Carson Freeman, and Jake Chisolm), while posting a 10-4 dual record and making their first appearance at the Conference Carolinas Championship.

Land was hired as the program’s first assistant coach by Head Coach Daniel Ownbey after serving as a volunteer assistant during the inaugural 2022-23 season. He played an integral role in building the program from the ground up, including recruiting the first classes in school history and helping establish the team’s competitive culture.

A former collegiate wrestler at Reinhardt University and Newberry College, Land was a two-time Appalachian Athletic Conference placewinner and NAIA National Qualifier at Reinhardt. His competitive background and multi-level collegiate experience have translated directly into his coaching impact at Montevallo.

A native of Moody, Alabama, Land is a two-time Alabama state champion at Moody High School. He continues to be a driving force in developing student-athletes and growing the sport in the state of Alabama.