Clare Short was building something at Queens University. The Royals had gone to three-straight Division II Final Fours and announced intentions to move up to Division I in May.

Short was excited about the news. But then, she made news of her own. She was leaving to become the first women’s lacrosse head coach at Charlotte University, which is set to begin competition in 2024-25.

“I had been on campus before and heard about the success of the athletic department at Charlotte,” Short said. “I was intrigued by the facilities and resources...I got excited and figured I might as well try.”

Short’s on-campus visit confirmed what she had heard about the University.

“I saw what they could offer a student-athlete academically, athletically and as a human in getting acclimated to a college lifestyle and their lives after,” Short said.

WELCOME COACH SHORT!

The newest 49ers program now has its first-ever leader!#NinerNation, welcome Clare Short to the family as she will have this program up and running full throttle!

Check out what Coach Short is bringing to us! #GoldStandardhttps://t.co/zNMb1RnDq9

— Charlotte Women's Lacrosse (@CharlotteWLAX) June 7, 2022

A big selling point: A new soccer and lacrosse field is in the works as part of Charlotte’s Evergreen Program, which is a plan to upgrade all athletic facilities over the next few years.

“To be able to make that our own and be the first team to be on that field was intriguing to me,” Short said.

And the success of other programs — women’s basketball played in the WNIT, and the baseball team went to the NCAA tournament this year — gave Short confidence she could build something successful at a university already establishing itself at the Division I level but with higher aspirations.

“This athletic department has grown in the last couple of years, but it’s still a younger athletic department,” Short said. “[We want to] just establish ourselves as a lacrosse program and make sure we start with a strong culture, so we can eventually have that tradition and retention throughout our years. When you are young and a new program, you want to make sure that first impression is a lasting impression.”

That starts with finding recruits that fit the 49ers’ mold. Short understands it will take a special kind of athlete to sign onto a new program.

“[I want] someone who wants to start and make history,” Short said. “I am looking for a winning attitude but someone who wants to make an impact not only on the field but on campus as well. Charlotte is an amazing city to be in. Someone who comes to school here can make an impact on the city during their four or five years here or after.”

Short knows how to sell the area. She’s spent her career coaching in it. She also served as an assistant at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne in North Carolina. She says the city offers plenty of opportunities for internships, volunteer work and post-graduation jobs for people who want to stay in the area as she has.

On the field, competing right away won’t be easy. The 49ers will play in the American Athletic Conference against juggernaut Florida, who has won every conference title, and James Madison, the 2018 national champion that is set to join the league as an affiliate next year. But Short has seen a blueprint. Pitt had a successful first season in the ACC, the nation’s top women’s lacrosse conference that has fielded the last two national champions. The Panthers won a game in the ACC Tournament this year.

“Pitt did a really good job, and obviously, they are in one of the toughest conferences,” Short said. “[We’re looking at] just implementing what they did with their first year in adding girls who were there without their season starting. They obviously added a lot of transfers.”

When the 49ers take the field in 2024-25, most COVID-era players will have graduated, so the transfer portal will no longer be full of fifth years looking to play a final season elsewhere.

“I will be looking at true transfers who are a sophomore or junior, so when I add a transfer on, they may still have three years with me, which I think is going to be a big success for us,” Short said.

It gives Short an opportunity to establish a culture. So does the two-year stretch she has between her hire and the 49ers’ first game.

“They are doing it right in allowing two years before our first season starts,” Short said. “Two years allows us to be really on track with our recruiting cycle and allows us to make sure we are recruiting the correct kids for us to be successful, not just adding to add or put enough people on the field.”

And when the time comes for the 49ers’ first game, Short plans to be prepared to lead a team onto the field that is ready to build a legacy from the opening whistle.

“When I decided to make this jump, I wanted to be here for a long, long time and build tradition and success,” Short said. “I had that opportunity at Queens, and now I want to do it at the Division I level in the American Athletic Conference and make a lasting statement.”