HAVRE -- There’s no place MSU-Northern senior Chase Short would rather be than on the mats.
“This year has been real weird and everything's so spaced out, but coach (Tyson) Thivierge is always telling us to take it one day at a time,” Short said. “And basically you got to wrestle each day like it's your last and coach does a great job with keeping us all hungry and keeping it fun and exciting.”
And though the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of the season, Short looks at the positives. With the NAIA granting an extra year of eligibility to every winter sports athlete, that means an extra year with his teammates and more time to chase his goals.
As a senior, he’ll get two opportunities to put an exclamation point on his wrestling career.
“So this is my Last Dance documentary part one, I got a two-part series coming out,” Short joked. “So that's the way I look at it. This is part one and it's just the fine-tuning. And this year it's the same as any other year. I'm still going out there and wrestling for seven minutes and I'm still coming to practice to get better.”
Short, who is ranked No. 16 in the NAIA at 174 pounds, has been an integral part of the Lights program since he came to Northern after a state championship career at Great Falls High School.
“He's grown a lot. Confidence-wise, he has improved tremendously,” Thivierge said. “Sometimes he tries to overthink things, but he'll correct himself a lot. So we've seen big changes in that over the years. But Short is an awesome part of the team.”
And just like at Great Falls High, Short likes turning his matches into mandatory viewing. He’s always moving and always looking for ways to score points. No matter the outcome, a Chase Short match is always exciting.
“I just like going out there and moving my hands and feet. I sometimes forget how to wrestle, but if I move my hands and feet, I can win matches,” Short said. “I like having fun and I like getting people excited and have my coaches give me that look.”
After failing to place in two trips to the NAIA national tournament as a sophomore and junior, Short hopes to get two more cracks at an All-American finish.
"I'm getting close. I think those past tournaments are history, and it's just onto this next one, you know, a new year,” he said. “It’s a new me and I'm learning how to wrestle every day.”
