Mexico Middle School Athletic Director Jake Vitale has been selected by his peers as this year’s Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) Middle School Athletic Director of the Year.

Now in his fifth year as MMS athletic director, Vitale supports coaches and student-athletes across the school’s sports programs. A former Bulldog athlete himself, he enjoys helping students work toward their competitive goals while representing the Mexico community with pride.

Brandon Schafer, Mexico High School Activities Director, shared, “Coach Vitale provides stability for our coaches and student-athletes and continues to grow our programs at MMS. His passion for growth and success, both athletically and academically, is evident in all of our programs at MMS. Mexico athletics is incredibly lucky to have Coach Vitale and his expertise in his role as MMS Athletic Director.”

Vitale’s work with Mexico Schools also includes coaching MHS boys wrestling and golf. Before joining the district, he worked in middle school behavior intervention and taught English language arts at North Callaway, where he also served as head wrestling coach and assistant football coach.

His enthusiasm for nearly every sport makes the athletic director role especially rewarding. He values the opportunity to be involved in all the sports MMS offers and to watch students grow through hard work and competition.

Outside school, Vitale enjoys traveling, golfing, and spending time with friends and family. He credits his wife, Claire, for supporting the busy schedule that comes with his role. Their son, Jasper, already shares the family’s school spirit, calling out “Go Bulldogs!” whenever he sees the school logo.