Photo courtesy of The Chronicle/Via WWU Athletics
Vikings Sign Napavine Guard Mollie Olson to NLI
April 19, 2018
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University women’s basketball coach Carmen Dolfo has announced that point guard Mollie Olson of Napavine High School has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Vikings starting with the 2018-19 season.
Olson is a 5-foot, 10-inch point guard that was a four-year varsity starter for Napavine and helped lead the Tigers to four consecutive trips to the 2B state tournament, including a second-place finish as a sophomore in 2016.
“Mollie is a great passer, sees the court really well and is a really good athlete,” said Dolfo, who will be entering her 28thseason leading the Vikings with 573 career victories. “Her athleticism and her ability to see the whole court are two of her many skills that will really help us right away.”
Olson was a two-time First Team Central 2B League selection, including earning co-MVP honors as a senior, and was also a First Team All-Area selection by The Chronicle. As a senior Olson averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as the Tigers reached the state quarterfinals and finished 5th in the state tournament. She scored 15 points in the 2B All-State game and was also named the MVP of the Southwest Washington Girls Basketball Senior All-Star Game after scoring 25 points with 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Olson also earned 2B Honorable Mention All-State honors by the Associated Press.
As a junior in 2017, Olson earned MVP honors on the All-Area team covering Lewis County, averaging 18.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Olson was a multi-sport star during her prep career also competing at the varsity level in volleyball and was the 2017 2B state champion in the triple jump for the track & field team. She played club basketball for Northwest Stars.
Olson joins Lynden Christian guard Avery Dykstra and Nooksack Valley forward Katrina Gimmaka as the current class of three new incoming players for the Vikings that will debut on the court starting in 2018-19. Dykstra, the 2017 Northwest Conference MVP and 2018 1A First Team All-State selection, averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game during her senior season to lead Lynden Christian to the 1A state title. Gimmaka was the Northwest Conference MVP and a 1A First Team All-State selection after she averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds per game as a senior.
“We are excited to have Mollie joining our family and really looking forward to these three players coming in and making an immediate impact on our program,” added Dolfo.
