MOSCOW, Idaho – Brett Olsen joins the Vandals as the new assistant coach for throws.
 
"We are tremendously excited to have Brett," said director of track and field/cross country Tim Cawley.  "He has the same vision, the same core principles as what we have and what we're looking for.  He fits in very well with our mission statement.
 
"He's very talented, and he has a great eye for the technical events.  I think we're very lucky to find someone of his caliber to come in and take over the throws position.  Jason Fearheiley left the position in a great spot and I think Brett will do a great job of taking it from there."
 
"I'm really excited to be here," Olsen said.  "There's a strong throwing history here.  It will be nice to come in and get my foot in the door working with a Division I program.  There's a lot of talent on the team, which is exciting.
 
"Tim and Cathleen have been great so far.  It's been nice working with them, and using their leadership and experience to help mentor me at this point in my career."
 
Most recently, Olsen was an assistant with the University of La Verne, a Division III university in La Verne, Calif.  There, he coached the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Male Field Athlete of the Year, in T.J. Randall.  During his time with La Verne, Olsen coached one All-American, five SCIAC Champions and 12 All-SCIAC members, and the school record holder in the hammer throw.
 
Olsen is also an accomplished athlete himself, having competed in the discus at the 2018 USATF Championships.  He competed collegiately at Southeastern Louisiana University.  There, Olsen was a four-time NCAA Regional qualifier, earned USATFCCCA All-Academic distinction and was twice an all-academic selection in the Southland Conference.  He won the discus competition at the 2015 Southland Conference Championships and was a nine-time all-conference selection.  Olsen's collegiate career started with a bang, as he earned the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year Award.  He also competed at the 2011 USA Junior Nationals.
 
He owns personal bests of 59.21 meters (194-3) in the discus and 62.49 meters (205-0) in the hammer throw.  Olsen also has personal bests of 16.89 meters (55-5.00) in the shot put and 20.37 meters (66-10) in the weight throw.
 
Olsen earned his Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from Southeastern Louisiana in 2015, and his Master of Health Administration from La Verne in 2018.
 
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