Athletic Directory

Shortridge High School offers a variety of athletic sports and activities. Listed are our athletic coaches and their contact details; please feel free to reach out to a coach to learn more about the sport, verify schedules and volunteer at ticket gates and concessions.

Athletic Director

Mr. Craig Huljak

I am the Athletic Director of Shortridge High School. Having been with Indianapolis Public Schools for 20 years, I have been fortunate enough to have had roles as a teacher, a youth athletics coordinator, youth coach, high school soccer coach and assistant athletic director. These experiences and education have led me to a role in which I can best facilitate a rewarding experience for our student-athletes, coaches, parents, staff and community. It is an honor to be part of Shortridge High School and to help lead our athletics to a brighter future.

Away from work, I have been married for 14 years. Throughout this time together, we have been blessed with 5 wonderful children. While I do cheer for the Colts, the Irish and the Kentucky Wildcats, Shortridge Athletics is the team that I root for above and beyond all else.

Email: huljakc@myips.org

Degrees and Certifications:

BA, Visual Arts Education

MA, Education

MA, Sports and Recreation Management

Assistant Athletic Director

Mr. Tyran Fakes

Email: fakest@myips.org

I am from Plainfield, IN and attended Plainfield High School. After high school I attended UIndy, where I was a member of the football team. I graduated from UIndy in 2011 and 2014, receiving my BS in Business and Sports Administration and MS in Sports Administration. Most recently I was the Athletic Director at Eastwood Middle School. Prior to Eastwood, I worked in college athletics at the Division I and Division II level in Facility and Game Day Operations.  

Athletic Coordinator, Girls Swimming and Girls Cross Country

Ms. Melody Groothuis

Email: groothuism@myips.org

Coach Groothuis (Coach “G”) has been involved in competitive sports most of her life.  She started swimming at the age of 9, competing in State, Zone, and National competitions until her junior year of high school.  She also began running cross-country and track/field in middle school, going on to compete in 8 state XC and Track/field competitions, earning 3 All-state honors in XC and 1 in Track/field at Martinsville High School.  Coach G went on to run Div I XC and Track/field for Columbia University in New York, where she earned a BA in Archaeology. Upon completion of her undergraduate education, Coach G worked for the Indiana Division of Natural Resources as an assistant archaeologist and coached high school XC and Track/field for 6 years as well as YMCA youth swimming.  As a former student-athlete, Coach G places high emphasis on academic achievement and works to support all aspects of athlete development. She lives on the northside of Indianapolis with her husband, two kids, and 4 cats. Coach G works in the media center at Shortridge, studies in the MFA in Creative Writing program at Butler University, and enjoys reading, writing poetry, and hiking in her free time. 

Football

Ron Qualls

Email: coachqualls@yahoo.com

Coach Ron Qualls, a US Army Values Award recipient, comes to SHS with coaching experience at Ball State, Anderson University, Heritage Christian, Hamilton Southeastern, Westfield, and Peru High Schools. As a Varsity Head Coach, Ron has amassed over 100 wins while leading teams to the State Championships and National Playoffs. Ron also has had the pleasure of assisting players to set All-Time State Records and seeing countless numbers of players live out their dream of playing in college, NFL and Europe, and most importantly becoming great men and fathers! Even more than all of the victories and championships, Coach Qualls views his family and faith as his biggest blessing in life. Ron values investing time with his wife of 32 years and his son (Malachi), daughter (Mallory) and his two very young grandchildren as he serves in his local church.

Girls Tennis and Girls Golf

Brice Koning

Email: koningb@myips.org

Starting my tenth year of teaching (second in IPS), I am looking forward to my fourth year of coaching golf, though first in a high school setting. I'm very excited to bring a over 30 years of experience and knowledge to the amazing group of kids at Shortridge!

Boys Cross Country

Gerry Groothuis

Email: gerrygroothuis@gmail.com   

Varsity Girls Soccer

Ms. Mackenzie Taylor

Phone: 317.640.4273

Email: taylormackenzie@myips.org

I was born and raised on the south side of Indianapolis. I graduated from Franklin Central High School and later IU Indianapolis. I've been playing, coaching, or refereeing soccer since I could walk. While I'll be the first to tell you that I have never been the most physically gifted athlete, I have a passion for the community that soccer offers, the fun, beauty, and mental challenge of the game, and the opportunity to learn lessons that translate to life off of the field. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share these things with the students of Shortridge. Outside of coaching, nowadays, I engage with soccer most by cheering on FC Cincinnati from home or from the gorgeous, electric TQL Stadium.

Boys Track & Field

Mr. Jovan McCray

Phone: 804.665.4653

Email: jmccrayuva30@gmail.com

I was born in Richmond, Virginia and I have my BS from Marion University Indianapolis, Indiana. I previously coached a variety of high school and college athletics. I was the former coach for 2 HBCU All American athletes.  I have held roles as Line Backers Coach of Virginia State, Grad Assistant at UVA, Def. Coordinator at Shortridge, and most recently was the Head Track and Wrestling coach of Crispus Attucks High School.

Baseball

Mr. Ryan Conley

Email: devilsskipper@gmail.com

I was raised in Evansville, IN and graduated from North High School. I was a 3 sport letter winner in baseball, wrestling and football. After high school I played JUCO baseball at Spoon River College (IL). My post playing career took me into umpiring baseball. I spent about 18 years rising through the ranks and finally spending my final 5 seasons in the A10 conference. I took a few years off and was then hired as the JV Head Coach of Sheridan High School. I spent 5 years there before accepting my current position with SHS. I currently work as an area field manager for U-Haul of Indiana. I have been married to my wife Angela for 19 years and have 2 daughters.

Girls Volleyball

Tanaviah Hinton

Phone: 317.937.5591

Email: hintont@myips.org

I am from Indianapolis. I graduated from Emmerich Manual High School in 2005. I have a BS from Indiana State University. I have been coaching volleyball for 7 years at a middle school level at George Washington Carver #87. I also coach Girls Basketball and Track and Field. I became one of the coaches for IPS's district middle volleyball team the Trailblazers. 

I have two children, both are boys. They also love sports! They play football and basketball, as well as wrestle. I had the pleasure of being their Team Mom during their time in youth league football. 

I love music (I absolutely love Beyonce), dancing, watching my favorite tv shows, and reading books. I enjoy being around family and friends. I am very excited to be coaching at Shortridge. My goal is to help these young ladies have fun, learn, and enjoy playing volleyball while getting better each day.

Boys Basketball

Mr. Ryan Mulcrone

Email: mulcronej@myips.org

Coach J. Ryan Mulcrone has nine years of experience coaching basketball at the college level as an assistant coach and head JV coach at Eureka College in Illinois. At Eureka, Mulcrone was the lead assistant in 2018-19, which included a SLIAC (St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) Tournament title and a berth in the Division III NCAA tournament. During his tenure, the Red Devils won 119 games and almost 60-precent of their games against Division III opponents. In 2023, he made the move to Indiana and the high school ranks, joining Arsenal Tech as an assistant coach to begin the year, before finishing the season as the interim head coach. In his one season at Arsenal Tech, he helped lead the Titans to a 15-9 record. A graduate of Michigan State University (BA - Sociology) and The Ohio State University (MA - Sport Management), he is also a history teacher in Indianapolis Public Schools. He has taught World History, Geography, African American History, Government and U.S. History in Peoria Public Schools (Illinois) or IPS. Mulcrone lives in Indianapolis and his hobbies include traveling, attending pro sporting events, watching Michigan State sports, cheering on Detroit sports, golfing and hiking amongst other activities.

Girls Basketball

Ms. Jes Wright

Phone: 317.226.2810

Email: jeswrite84@gmail.com

Coach Jes is starting her first year as Head Coach for the Lady Blue Devils Girls’ Basketball program. Relocating to Indiana at the age of 7, Coach Jes passion for basketball immediately started to grow. At Cathedral High School, Coach Jes helped lead her team to back to back State Championships. After High School, Coach Jes attended Lynn University where she received a B.S. in Sports and Recreation Management. She then went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management from Western Governors University. Coach Jes currently serves as the P.E. Teacher at Pleasant Run Elementary.

On the court, Coach Jes is coming to Shortridge from Cathedral High School and Lawrence North High School. During her time in those programs she served as the Head Freshman Coach, Head JV coach and Varsity Assistant Coach. Coach Jes is the Director of Operations for the All Indy Belles, a travel AAU basketball program for girls grades 3^rd – 8^th. She is also the Founder of For the Wild Child, a sports and mentoring program which is comprised of young women 14 and under who are committed to building individual confidence, sportsmanship, self-esteem and leadership skills.

Coach Jes enjoys listening to music, reading books, watching movies, taking naps with her dog Trail, and putting together puzzles. The most challenging puzzle she ever solved, was the Rubik’s Cube. Coach Jes loves the outdoors and attended Wilderness Survival school, so she is always up for an adventure that includes hiking and/or camping.

Cheerleading

Miss Dionna Johnson

Email: dionnajohnson65@yahoo.com

Hello, my name is Dionna Johnson. I am from East side of Indianapolis, INDIANA. I began my cheerleading career in junior high and through high school. I continued my leadership role in cheerleading at Indiana State University. Also, where I received my dance background by joining Delta Phi Delta Dance Fraternity, Incorporated in April 2020. I began coaching at Crispus Attucks High School back in 2021 where it led me to an opportunity Junior Varsity Head Coach at Lawrence North High School. My career highlights involve 3 Gold ribbons in each category at UCA Camp 2023. I am looking forward to this season as a Blue Devil.

Girls Track and Field

Ms. Taryn Walker

Phone: 317.855.0165

Email: walkert@myips.org

Coach Walker was born and raised in Indianapolis. She graduated from Cathedral High School and earned a BS at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana.  Coach Walker has been coaching track for the last past 8 years. Starting her coaching journey at John Marshall Middle/High school as head girl’s track coach for 2 years. Then an assistant track coach for Crispus Attucks High School and Northwest Middle School. She joined the Shortridge athletic community as an assistant coach for the girls’ track team specializing in shotput and discus. 

Currently working on her Master of Art in Education, Coach Walker enjoys spending time with her family, church, traveling, volunteering for youth organizations and representing her sorority Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated.  

Softball

Mr. Owen Harrington

Phone: 231.203.3027

Email: spikesgolfwork@gmail.com

Owen Harrington is beginning his sixth year as the Varsity Softball Coach at Shortridge.

He’s been coaching softball since 1994, coaching in Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, and Indiana including starting/re-starting softball programs at Miami Country Day School in Miami and at Shortridge HS in Indianapolis.

He has also coached volleyball and women’s soccer at the varsity level and is currently the assistant for women's golf.

He has a BS in Sport Management from Barry University in Miami, a certificate in Gifted Education from Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC, and an MS in Sport Management with an emphasis in Athlete Development at the University of Florida.

Over the past 26 years, his teams have won more than 350 softball games and featured 29 All-Conference, 21 All-District/All-Section, 16 All-Region, and 4 All-State softball players. (He’s also lost a whole bunch, but he doesn’t like to talk about that.)

Aside from coaching, he plays piano, collects baseball cards, and plays a ton of Strat-O-Matic Baseball. He enjoys mountain biking with his son Sam, shooting hoops with his son Pete, playing trucks with his 4-year-old, Thomas, and hanging out on the porch with his wife, Kate.

Varsity Boys Soccer

Mr. Rory Priest

Phone: 317.946.3232

Email: roryjohnpriest11@gmail.com

Born and raised in Indianapolis, I attended University High School of Indiana (Carmel) and then graduated from Indiana University in 2015 with a B.A. in Sports Communication. For the past 3 years, I have worked as a Deputy Fire Marshal and Public Educator for the Indianapolis Fire Department. With IFD, my main goal is to educate the general population about fire and life safety.

My entire life I have spent around soccer. Most of my love for the game comes from my father, Wes Priest, who played soccer for Indiana University and won an NCAA championship with the program in 1988. My dad would go on to serve as coach of numerous youth teams , director of coaching, and eventually a board member all with Dynamo FC (Indianapolis). It was my time spent playing at Dynamo FC and in high school that I really cultivated a love for the game. I have coached numerous age groups at the club and high school levels. I spent  4 years as the women's soccer assistant/head coach at University High School and have worked as an assistant/JV coach at Shortridge High School for 2 years. I'm so excited to continue to help our program grow and truly believe we have one of the finest coaching staffs in the state! 

Boys Swimming

Ms. Kandyce Dorsey

Email: Kytfitnessandhealth@gmail.com

I go by "Coach D", Born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. I grew up on the east side of Indy and graduated from Lawrence North High School where I learned the true meaning of being a student athlete and competing at high levels. I then attended Miami University Of Ohio on scholarship for track and field. Later in life I've served eight years in the US Army, continue to raise a beautiful human , and now join the Shortridge family as the Boys Swim coach! #GoBlueDevils

Boys Volleyball

Mr. Noah Allen

Email: allenn@myips.org

My name is Noah Allen, and I am the Varsity Boys Volleyball Head Coach for your Shortridge Blue Devils! 

I have been with IPS for two years thus far and eager to continue my education and athletic journey for years to come! I currently work at IPS 87. I have coached several sports at the middle school level and now excited to tackle sports at the High School level.

I am a graduate of HCC in Henderson, KY and a current student at WKU to complete my BS.

Outside of work I am an avid North Carolina Tarheel fan, newly engaged and quite the sports junkie! 

Go Blue Devils! 

Girls and Boys Bowling

Tony Gilbert

Email: ttmgilbert@yahoo.com

Coach Gilbert was born and presently lives here is Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated from Shortridge High School and attended Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana obtaining a BA Degree in Sociology, Minor in Business and Spanish, with post graduate courses in Recreational Management. My professional career has included the Professional Bowlers Tour and working in the bowling Industry for Brunswick Corporation in Baltimore, MD., and New York City. Here in Indianapolis I have been involved with a VA program through Royal Pin Leisure Centers Coaching veterans of our military branches. Currently, I hold a United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Bronze level Certification for Coaching.