RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros head track & field/cross country coach Shareese Hicks announced on Thursday the addition of Jake Degenshein to the Vaqueros coaching staff as the assistant throws coach.
“We are very excited to have Coach Deg complete our staff. His ability to develop and recruit student-athletes will be essential in the continuing elevation of our throws event group and program overall,” Hicks said. “His ability to teach fundamentals will be a huge advantage to our team along with his strengths in programming and holistic athlete development. He has shown himself to be an impactful coach, and together, we are looking forward to working towards our program’s vision and goals.”
Degenshein joins the UTRGV staff after serving as the throws coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Lynchburg, his alma mater, for two years. He mentored nine student-athletes to all-conference honors in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and two individual conference champions, helping the Hornets program win multiple team championships. He was also a throws coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Virginia for three years, guiding one state medalist, six state qualifiers and two conference champions.
“I couldn’t be more excited to work with such a talented group of student-athletes here in the Valley,” Degenshein said. “I’ve already seen them demonstrate the characteristics of elite-level athletes and champions. I think we’ll hit our stride as a group very quickly, and once that happens, it’s going to be lights out for the competition.”
Degenshein has experience coaching and developing student-athletes in all throwing events, including shot put, discus, hammer throw, weight throw and javelin. He has recruited men’s and women’s sprinters and jumpers in addition to throwers. He is skilled in creating and executing training and strength & conditioning programs focused on fundamentals to guide individual improvement. Additionally, while coaching at Lynchburg, he coordinated scheduling and created itineraries for track & field recruit visits.
His strength as an impactful coach stems from his ability to connect with his student-athletes on a personal level. This ability was not only showcased by the performances his athletes turned in on the competition surface, but with their growth in the classroom. Degenshein reinvigorated the priority placed on academics for the Lynchburg throwers, leading to their cumulative GPA improving to a 3.54 by the end of his second year.
“Possibly the thing I’m proudest of from my time coaching at Lynchburg is reestablishing the expectations for academic excellence amongst the throwers,” Degenshein said. “Understanding that the young athletes that I’m fortunate to work with are so much more than just their performances in competition has always been a big thing for me. Connecting with my athletes and gaining their trust helps me to coach them at a higher level.”
A product of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Degenshein threw for Lynchburg for four years at the NCAA Div. III level. He won the ODAC javelin championship as a senior in 2021, helping his team claim the outdoor conference championship as he also took bronze in discus. Degenshein made the USTFCCCA All-South/Southeast Region team in javelin that season and entered the Lynchburg record books. His career-best javelin throw of 53.68 meters currently ranks sixth all-time in Lynchburg track & field history.
During his three full outdoor seasons with the Hornets (only competed in one meet in COVID-19-shortened 2020 season), Degenshein racked up five golds in javelin and 12 top-five finishes in the event. He took bronze in javelin and eighth in discus at his first ODAC outdoor championship in 2018 and was fourth in javelin in 2019, helping the Hornet men to a third-place finish at both conference meets.
Degenshein competed in all five throws at some point in his collegiate career before specializing on javelin and discus. He received several coaches’ awards and field athlete MVP awards during his career, voted on by the coaching staff.
Degenshein earned a Bachelor of Administration in Marketing in 2021 and completed his Master’s in Public Health in 2023, both from Lynchburg.
