UMD’s Olson honored as DII Athlete of the Year

LOS ANGELES, CA. (Northern News Now) - It was a special season for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and part of that was thanks to the Division II Player of the Year Brooke Olson.

Olson’s awards didn’t stop coming after the season ended as she was named as a finalist for the Division II Honda Athlete of the Year.

The finalists included ten other athletes from around the country, while the votes were made by 1,000 National Collegiate Athletic Association member schools as a part of the Collegiate Women Sports Award program.

UMD announced on June 15 that Olson was named the Honda Athlete of the Year, the second one in school history following former volleyball player Vicky Braegelmann, who earned the accolade in 2008.

“I am so honored to be able to represent UMD, the Duluth community, and my team with this award, " said Olson. “I am so blessed to have been a Bulldog for the past five years and never could have imagined my career ending with this award. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and been a part of my career, what a ride it’s been!”

Olson earned the award by leading the Bulldogs women’s basketball team to their first-ever national championship game while scoring 171 points to set a tournament record while averaging 28.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in the NCAA DII Tournament.

The award was presented to Olson on Monday, June 26. at an event held at the University of California Los Angeles.

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