Olivia Olson looks to elevate the-already “hardest-working team in America” to new heights with competitive spirit

Olivia Olson has never been afraid to put her body on the line.

In addition to being a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American in basketball, Olson was her high school soccer team’s starting goalkeeper. As the final line of defense for the Minnesota state champion Benilde-St. Margaret’s squad, she often found herself leaping towards the ball.

Attending one of Olson’s soccer games during her recruitment process, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico was impressed — and slightly concerned — by Olson’s diving habits. Even in warm-ups, she’d dive for the ball repeatedly to simulate in-game action.

“In warm ups, I was like, ‘Oh goodness, I hope this girl is okay,’ ” Barnes Arico told The Michigan Daily. “… She was diving all over the place before the game even started. Probably saved 20 balls before the game even started.”

Olson’s teammates and coaches rave about that team-first attitude and unwavering will to win. In addition to sacrificing her body, she works tirelessly to improve her game, going all out in every practice and drill, and fueling competitiveness and fire among her teammates as well.

As a goalkeeper, Olson developed a skill — diving for the ball. So given Barnes Arico’s commitment to the Wolverines being the “hardest-working team in America,” emphasizing competition and making hustle plays, Michigan seemed like a natural fit for Olson. 

“It’s been said around campus that we were made to play for each other,” Barnes Arico said.

The competitive fire Olson has exemplified since arriving in Ann Arbor has been crucial for the Wolverines’ squad thus far. Olson is one of three highly ranked freshmen in Michigan’s starting lineup, and the Wolverines are looking to their newcomers for scoring production and leadership. While Olson is still developing as a vocal leader, her hustle and will to win set the tone and up the intensity in practice.

“She is constantly trying to see what else she can do to help your team win or make herself better through individual practice,” Tim Ellefson, Olson’s high school coach, told The Daily. “She’s the ultimate competitor.”

Michigan practices its mantra of being the “hardest-working team in America” through its practice points system. Players accumulate practice points by making plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet — taking charges, and of course, diving for loose balls, among other things. 

And of course, Olson wasted no time before diving on the floor upon arriving in Ann Arbor, constantly going after loose balls and making other hustle plays in practice. As a result, she earned the coveted title of Michigan’s practice points “queen” during three of its first four weeks — a feat never before accomplished by a freshman. Olson’s ability to contribute in all facets of the game displays a level of maturity and competitiveness beyond her years. And that drive is contagious.

“It shows everyone else how much of a worker she is,” Barnes Arico said. “A lot of times as a freshman, maybe you can come in and you can score, but you have a hard time winning the points because you don’t know what it takes to do the rest … people feed off her energy.”

***

Near the beginning of Olson’s final high school basketball season, the near-unthinkable occurred — Olson hurt her hand. Shaking it off and returning to the game, she took a shot, and the ball slipped out of her control. The prognosis was clear: her hand was broken. 

Unfortunately for Olson, her injury meant she’d miss an extended period of time during her senior season, in which she and her team were looking to repeat as state champions. Despite originally thinking she may miss the entire season, Olson missed just eight games. And in her time off, Olson worked to make sure she remained in tip-top shape.

While her team practiced, Olson refused to sit on the side and watch. As her team ran drills and scrimmaged, Olson ran sprints along the sideline, using strict time cutoffs to push herself to her limits. In addition to her cardio work, Olson also worked on ball handling with her non-broken hand.

“We’d be doing shooting drills, shell defense or something like that,” Ellefson said. “She’d be sprinting on the side and she was doing this to time … pushing herself to a (high) level. She wanted to make sure when she came back, she was in better shape, if not the same, as when she got hurt.”

With her tireless work ethic on display, Olson set the tone for the rest of her team. Being the hardest-working player in the gym — despite an injury — she radiated a commitment to winning and getting better that motivated her teammates.

“(Olson’s work ethic) makes it so much easier for me when a girl complains about playing time,” Ellefson told the Daily. “Measure yourself against what you see. You know, are you doing all those things? … Are you working as hard as you can now?”

In her first practice back from injury, Olson was excited to get back to basketball. And, fittingly, she dove for three loose balls in that practice. 

*** 

During Olson’s recruiting process, the Wolverines’ already-fiery culture was on full display. As Olson saw, Michigan’s “hardest-working team in America” mantra and emphasis on competition extends well outside the walls of its facility.

Now, some applesauce comes into play. On a recruiting visit, Olson and the Wolverines’ roster played a game. The objective was to get as much applesauce in your blindfolded partner’s mouth as possible. 

And Michigan’s players went all out, putting maximum effort into the game. 

“That kind of got everyone like standing up and screaming and stuff,” Olson told The Daily. “I always want to win at everything. Seeing them butt heads a little in the little games kind of reminded me of my siblings and I growing up. We just always wanted to win and so that was really important for me.”

As a five-star recruit, Olson had a multitude of schools to choose from. But she wanted to be a part of something different. Something new. She wanted a chance to infuse her competitive fire into a program and take it to new heights.

So with the intensity she felt within the program, her choice was clear. She’d be a Wolverine, pledging her commitment to Barnes Arico as the first member of Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class during the fall of her junior year. Having the 20th-ranked player already locked down, the Wolverines knew that the class of 2024 would set a strong foundation for the program for years to come. But Olson was just the start of it.

“I wanted to be committed early, and so I was the first one,” Olson said at Michigan Media Day Oct. 22. “I just wanted to be a part of something different and special, somewhere where (winning a national championship) hasn’t been done before.”

Olson knew the commitment required in building a winning program, so she got to work right away. After committing, she connected with Syla Swords, the fourth-ranked player in the class of 2024. Swords, along with McDonald’s All-American nominee Mila Holloway, Te’Yala DelFosse and Aaiyanna Dunbar made up the highest-ranked recruiting class in Michigan women’s basketball history — with Olson as the glue.

Expectations are high for the Wolverines’ freshman class, and for Olson herself. And hoping to bring Michigan its first national championship in program history, Olson isn’t shying away from the expectations, instead diving at the opportunity to make an early impact and take the program to new heights.

Instead, to elevate her and her teammates’ play, she’ll fuel the flames of competition within the Wolverines’ facility every day. If Michigan really is the “hardest-working team in America,” Olson will drive herself to be its hardest-working player.

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