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Golden Gophers Announce Signings of Jake Short, Nick Wanzek

The University of Minnesota on Monday confirmed that the Simley wrestlers have accepted scholarships to become Golden Gophers.

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The University of Minnesota confirmed Monday what fans of Simley High wrestling already knew: the Spartans’ Jake Short and Nick Wanzek will become Golden Gophers next year.

According to the Minnesota Daily and Gophersports.com, the U announced Monday that Simley’s state champion wrestlers signed their National Letters of Intent during the early signing period and will join Minnesota’s wrestling program next year.

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Short and Wanzek signed their letters during a ceremony at Simley on Nov. 14.

Here is what Gophersports.com says about Short:

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As the newest powerhouse in Minnesota’s most decorated wrestling family, Jake Short follows in his relative’s footsteps as a high school state champion (his father Will, and Uncles Chris and Wade won two and his Uncle John won one), but is the first in his family to win three individual titles. The Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native, is currently tabbed as the No. 1 high school wrestler in the 145-pound weight class and No. 8 overall senior in the country. Headed into his final season, Short boasted an overall record of 189-20. He has helped Simley High School win three of its five consecutive state titles and is a U.S. Cadet and U.S. Junior folkstyle national champion and a U.S. Junior freestyle national runner-up. Short also plays football as running back for the Spartans.

Here is what Gophersports.com says about Wanzek:

Also hailing from Inver Grove Heights, Nick Wanzek will join teammate Jake Short at the University of Minnesota next fall. A two-time Minnesota state champion, Wanzek is ranked at No. 3 nationally and No. 27 overall at 152 pounds. With a 174-30 record from freshman to junior year, Wanzek also played a crucial role in Simley’s five-year dominance in the state championship tournament. On the national level, Wanzek claimed championship titles in junior folkstyle and cadet folkstyle divisions, while placing second in junior freestyle. He was named to the 2012 MWCA All-State Academic Team for his work in the classroom and, like Short, Wanzek also participates on the Simley High School football team.

Short and Wanzek make up two-thirds of a highly touted in-state signing class for the top-ranked Gopher wrestling team. Also joining that group is Nate Thomas of Mantorville.

The Minnesota Daily says freshmen wrestlers typically are redshirted, meaning none of the three might wrestle for the coach J Robinson’s Gophers during the 2013-14 season.

“[B]ut current 174-pound stud Logan Storley  bucked that trend last season when he competed as a true freshman,” says the Minnesota Daily.

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