Michael Marquardt begins his first season as head coach of the University of Montevallo men's cross-country program.

The program will become the eleventh intercollegiate varsity program at Montevallo in the fall of 2010.

He concurrently works as a sales representative with Trak Shack, a running and fitness store with locations in Homewood and Birmingham. 

A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, Marquardt was a two-year letter-winner for the Panthers, qualified for the 2001 NAIA Outdoor Track National Championships, named team captain, and was named Academic All-Big South Conference in 2001. He earned his bachelor's degree in History with a minor in Sociology from BSC in 2002.

Prior to BSC, Marquardt was a two-year letter-winner at Bevill State Community College in Hamilton, named Academic All-American in 2000 and was part of teams that qualified for the NJCAA National Championships in 1998 and 1999.

Marquardt currently resides in Calera with his wife Julia and their two children, Owen and Elise.