Meet Our Performance Staff

Landon Messner grew up in southern Minnesota and joined the Lumberjacks staff in September of 2020 as the Director of Strength and Performance. He currently oversees all aspects of strength and conditioning for the Great Lakes athletes ages 14-18. Before joining the Academy in Woodbury, he worked at the University of Minnesota as an intern under their world class performance staff, coaching and programming for elite athletes and learning what it takes for an athlete to compete at the highest level.

Prior to his time at the University of Minnesota, Messner coached with high school athletes as the head strength and conditioning coach of both GFW High School and West Lutheran High School. At both schools he implemented Strength and Conditioning programs for football, volleyball, basketball, track, softball, and baseball.

Messner is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is also certified as a Level 1 Performance Coach through the United States of America Weightlifting (USAW).

Messner is a graduate of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN where he earned his bachelor degree in Biology. He currently lives in Bloomington, MN with his wife and son.

Nate grew up in Duluth, MN where he began his coaching career after suffering a knee injury which sidelined him from continuing his athletic career. He currently works as the Sports Scientist for Great Lakes Baseball Academy where he works with the strength and conditioning and baseball staffs to utilize scientifically guided practices to improve the health and performance for Great Lakes Athletes.

Prior to his time with Great Lakes, Nate has accrued over 9 years of coaching experience with 7 of those being dedicated to improving the performance of athletes. He got his feet wet in the industry working as a high school strength and conditioning coach where he trained every possible MSHL sport. Nate then moved to the Twin Cities area to pursue his master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science. While attending the University of Minnesota, he worked as a Sports Science intern with men and women’s hockey, men’s swimming, and women’s Soccer. Upon finishing his Master’s degree, Nathan continued working through Minnesota’s Professional Internship Program as an Assistant Performance Coach for men and women’s basketball, golf, and the Spirit Squads.

Throughout the course of Nate’s career, he has worked in both the collegiate and private sectors working with clinical populations as well elite athletes and military populations. Utilizing research guided practices, he provides a unique blend of training with actionable insights to bring together the fields of Athletic Medicine and Athletic Performance.

Wells currently has a BS in Exercise Science, an M.Ed. in Sports and Exercise Science, CSCS, RPR L2, FMS L1, and HPBT. He currently lives in Saint Paul, MN.