Jake Simon enters his first season leading the Penmen distance athletes as the Head Cross Country/Assistant Track & Field Coach in January 2024.
He comes to SNHU following a period with the University of Florida as an Assistant Cross Country/Track & Field Coach from July 2021 to December 2023. During the 2021-‘22 season, his first year on staff with the program, the Women’s Track & Field team won the SEC Outdoor team title, as well as the NCAA Division I Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Men’s Track & Field team also won the Outdoor Track & Field Championship in 2022 and defended the team title during the 2023 Outdoor season, making it four national championships in two years. The 2023 Cross Country season was one of the best in school history for the Gators. The Women’s team won the SEC Cross Country Championships and finished 5th at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Charlottesville, VA, the best finish in school history.
At the individual level, he’s helped coach numerous All-SEC Freshmen, First Team and Second Team honorees, as well as SEC champions, USTFCCCA Cross Country Regional honorees, All-Americans, National Champions, and a Honda Sport Award winner.
"I'm excited about Coach Simon bringing his knowledge and expertise acquired from his tenure with high-caliber student-athletes at the University of Florida up to SNHU," said Program Director Lex Butler. "Our exceptional group of student-athletes is poised to thrive, benefiting from the enthusiasm, consistency and passion that Coach Simon is set to instill in our distance programs.”
Simon began his coaching career as a student assistant coach for his alumnus, Fairleigh Dickinson University, from June 2019-January 2020. He worked primarily with the middle and long distance athletes.
Following his stint at FDU, Simon was hired in January 2020 as the Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the New Jersey City University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & field teams. He was solely responsible for coaching and designing training for the Gothic Knights’ throwers and assisted with the mid-distance and distance athletes as well. He was also responsible for overseeing all aspects of recruiting.
Simon was a four year standout runner (2014-‘18) in cross country at the Division I level competing for the Pirates of Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ, where he was a three time Big East Conference All-Academic Team recipient (2016, ‘17, ‘18). He also competed on the track team for the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ during his graduate studies, where he received Northeast Conference All-Academic Team honors.
He graduated from Seton Hall University in 2018 with a B.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences and a Minor in Psychology. He later earned his Master of Sports Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2020.
Simon is a native of Freehold, NJ where he graduated Freehold Township High School in 2014. He was a twelve time varsity letter award recipient, the only person in his class to achieve such a feat. He is married to Isabella Whelan, who also ran cross country at Seton Hall. They have a daughter, Alba Jayne.
