Former Student Athlete Jake Shelton To Lead Men’s Team
Jake Shelton has a long history with men’s soccer at College of Southern Maryland, and now he is continuing that history by taking on the role of the team’s head coach.
The 2008 La Plata High School graduate played soccer as a CSM Hawk while also working in the college’s fitness center as a certified personal trainer. When he graduated CSM, he transferred to Lake Erie College, where he played on its soccer team and was named captain for two years.
Michelle Ruble, CSM’s executive director of student life and athletics, said the college is looking forward to the benefits such a seasoned player as Shelton will bring to the team and his ability to share his knowledge of both soccer and the mission of CSM to his players.
“Coach Shelton brings expertise and wonderful enthusiasm to grow our soccer program, and I’m excited to see what he does for us here at CSM,” Ruble said.
Shelton received his bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a minor in finance, in 2013 from Lake Erie College after which he took the role of Graduate Assistant Coach for the Men’s Soccer Program there. Under his leadership, the team appeared in the conference playoffs for the first time in school history. The team then reached the conference final two years in a row.
Shelton completed his master’s in business administration in 2015 at Lake Erie. At the same time he was playing and coaching soccer, as well as working as a personal trainer and a loan officer for C&F Mortgage and then account manager with the company VSGi.
Shelton said he is happy to be coming back to CSM, where he knows he will be able to create a strong culture of competitive soccer.
“My main vision is to develop the players both physically and technically so they can go on to compete on the field and in the classroom,” he said.
The Hawks’ returning players have already begun their off-season work, with conditioning and practice several days a week. They will ramp up their efforts in August, just before the season begins. “We’ve already hit the ground running for fall,” Shelton said.
Shelton said he wants to give back to the CSM soccer program that gave him his start in his collegiate career, where he said he was able to develop as a person and player. “I have a clear vision for where I want to take this program and the players who are a part of it. I am very excited to see the success that will come to the CSM Men’s Soccer Program,” he said.
For information on CSM’s athletic programs, visit www.csmd.edu/athletics.