Redshirt sophomore Jake Short injured his hamstring for the second time in a year when he was competing in an open tournament on Nov. 1. 

 

He was able to return to the team two weeks ago and is 5-1 at 149 pounds since his return.

 

“Obviously, he’s not 100 percent yet, as far as where he was last year,” assistant coach Luke Becker said. “The injury is what it is. I don’t think he’s missing any of that pop, that explosion that he had prior to the injury.”

 

Short first hurt his hamstring last year at the Big Ten Championships, causing him to miss the NCAA Championships a week and a half later.

 

He was the team’s starter at 149 pounds again heading into the year, but he missed the first seven duals of the season after aggravating the injury.

 

The injury was less serious than the previous one, and he was able to return to compete against Oklahoma State.

 

Short started at 149 pounds against the Cowboys on Nov. 29 and wrestled against then-No. 8 Anthony Collica. 

 

He used two third-period escapes to take the match.

 

“He was a little bit nervous on how everything was going to hold up, but he went out there and competed well,” Becker said. “He wrestled hard the entire match. He was in good position. He was in a couple scrambles, and he found a way to get the win.”

 

Short wrestled in the Cliff Keen Invitational last weekend and finished as the tournament’s runner-up at 149 pounds.

 

He came in as the No. 11 seed but went 4-1 in the tournament. He lost in the championship match of his weight class to then-No. 5 Lavion Mayes of Missouri.

 

Short had to work hard to wrestle again, but he’s been successful so far this season.

 

“It’s a lot of work to kind of get healthy,” Short said. “Every week is a new ding on your body. I’ve been [on] and off the mat, so it’s been hard for me to sit any longer. Any time

I have the ability to wrap [the leg] or tape it up, I’m going to do it.”

 

The Gophers struggled at 149 pounds with Short out of the lineup. Minnesota was 0-7 in dual matches at the weight classes before his return.

 

Short was able to solidify the weight class upon his return after coming back even stronger than last year. 

 

He was 0-7 against ranked opponents last season, but so far this year he’s 3-1.

 

“Definitely his mentality has changed a lot from last year,” redshirt sophomore Nick Wanzek said. “He was the young guy last year, like myself, and now he’s one of the older guys. He feels like he needs to lead this team more from a wrestling standpoint.”

 

Part of Short’s mentality shift has been focusing less on victories and losses, something he did more last year, Becker said.

 

“It’s more about going out there for the seven minutes and competing, and the rest is going to take care of itself,” Becker said.