Coach Jake Short made an immediate impact in his first year as head coach, leading the team to a fourth-place finish at Nationals. Under his leadership, two women’s wrestlers were crowned national champions in their respective weight classes, and another earned a national runner-up title. In total, he coached five All-Americans and nine scholar All-Americans during the season.
Short successfully advanced 12 of 15 wrestlers from Regionals to Nationals, where his team placed second—falling short of the title by just 1.5 points. His outstanding efforts earned him both NWCA Coach of the Year and Regional Coach of the Year honors.
Although the team ultimately finished the year ranked fourth in the country, they were ranked in the top three during the middle of the season.
Grand Valley State Director of Athletics, Keri Becker, announced that Jake Short will be the first-ever head coach for the women's wrestling program. Grand Valley State announced in 2021 a relaunch for the men's wrestling program that would begin in 2023 and the adding of women's wrestling as a varsity sport for competition in 2024.
Short most recently completed his second year as the head women's wrestling coach at Augsburg (Minn.) University where he guided the Auggies to a fifth-place finish at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Tournament. Short also served as a coach for Pinnacle, an elite level wrestling school in Minnesota for three years.
"We are thrilled to have Jake Short lead the first-ever women's wrestling program at Grand Valley State University," said Becker. "Jake brings competitive energy and a great vision for the successful launch of this inaugural team. During his coaching career he has shown the ability to recruit and mentor quality student-athletes who can be successful on and off the mat. He has a heart for teaching and building relationships that will be the core of building a team culture," added Becker.
Short compiled a dual meet record of 14-4 during his two years as head coach at Augsburg. The Auggies finished sixth at the NWCA National Tournament in 2022, followed by the fifth-place finish in 2023. Short mentored nine wrestlers that earned NWCA All-America honors, including three individual National Champions. He coached five NWCA All-Americans and two National Champions in 2023.
"I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to represent Grand Valley State as the first-ever head coach for women's wrestling," said Short. "I believe everything happens for a reason and I feel blessed that I have a chance to build a program from the ground up. I appreciate the support from the faculty and staff, the support from friends, and most of all my family as we start to build a women's wrestling program that will compete at the highest level," added Short.
In his first season as the head coach at Augsburg, Short led the Auggies to a dual meet record of 7-2 and a sixth-place finish at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Champions. Short coached four All-Americans in his first year, including Emily Shilson, Nina Makem, Marlynne Deede, and Gabby Skidmore. Shilson earned her fourth collegiate national title in 2021-22, her third straight.
Short has served as a coach at the Pinnacle School of Wrestling, an elite training program based in the Twin Cities. He has served as both a girls' and boys' wrestling coach at Pinnacle, a program co-owned by legendary wrestlers Jared Lawrence and Brandon Paulson. In January 2021, Short was named as the head coach for the Minnesota/USA Wrestling women's state team, leading practice, and training sessions for tournaments.
A four-year starter and two-year captain as a middleweight at the University of Minnesota, Short compiled a 99-56 record with the Gophers, with 16 pins, 12 major decisions and three technical falls to his credit. In Big Ten tournament competition, he finished fifth at 157 pounds in 2017, seventh at 157 in 2018, and seventh at 149 in 2016. He was a three-time NCAA national tournament qualifier.
As a high school wrestler, competing for his father Will Short at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., Jake Short won four Minnesota state tournament titles and placed five times in his six-year varsity career. He had a 237-20 high school record, capping his high school career with an 82-match winning streak. He also competed in football and tennis at Simley. He was a two-time junior national finalist and a cadet freestyle national champion in youth amateur wrestling.
Short and his wife, Rachel, are the proud parents of son William.
