Bio

Kody Michaels enters his sixth season at the helm of the Viterbo University women's track and field program in 2026-27, continuing a tenure defined by rapid growth, competitive excellence, and culture of academic achievement as well. Since taking over in 2021-22, Michaels has transformed the V-Hawks into one of the most consistently successful programs in the NAIA. Under his leadership, the women's team has produced 41 conference champions, 38 national qualifiers, 7 NAIA All-Americans,

59 NAIA Scholar Athletes, and 109 conference all academic honorees, a testament to both athletic and academic standards he has established.

Michaels' impact was immediate. In his debut season, between the men's and women's teams, the V-Hawks captured 10 individual conference titles, three relay championships, and 19 all-conference awards. That same year, the program shattered morethan 20 schopirecords, qualified 10 athletes to nationals (the most in school history, and elebrated six NAIA All-Americans. The woren's team also achieved a historic milestone by finishing second at the outdoor conference championships, the highest placement in program history at the time.

Before joining Viterbo, Michaels served as an assistant coach at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota from 2018-2021, guiding sprints, hurdles, and horizontal jumps. His time there produced two NCAA All-Americans, 14 national qualifiers, and 10 conference champions. He also coached the mens 4x200m and 4x100m relays to the first conference titles and national championship berths in school history, an early indicator of his ability to elevate relay squads and technical event groups.

A 2017 graduate of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Michaels earned his Bachelor of Arts in entrepreneurship while comepting as a standout hurdler. He was a First Team All-MIAC performer, team captain, MIAC Sportsmanship Award recipient, and remains the school record holder in the indoor 200m hurdles. His competitive success began earlier at La Crosse Central High School, where he was a multiple-time conferece hurdles champion, WIA All-State honoree, and a D1 state champion in the 4x400m relay.

Michaels resides in Winona, Minnesota with his wife Alexa, their son Kaden, daughter Althea, and their three dogs.