DCTC Amanda Olsen NJCAA D-1 All-American

Freshman midfielder Amanda Olsen, formerly of Park High School in Cottage Grove, Minn., was named to the NJCAA Div. I All-American roster. Receiving Honorable Mention recognition, Olsen is the fourth DCTC soccer All-American in seven years as well as the third woman to win the prestigious award, joining Sheena Lien from 2003 and Kasey Dobbs from 2005. Casey Holm from the men’s soccer team was a 2005 All-American.

In 2009, sophomore forward Katie Lucca was named an NJCAA Academic All-American, the first DCTC student-athlete to receive the honor, with David Geiger, a former pitcher for Blue Knights baseball, named a 2008 NJCAA Division III Pre-Season All-American. In all, DCTC has fielded six NJCAA All-American athletes from the college’s relatively small athletic program since fall 2003.

“Amanda Olsen’s story is particularly notable because she sat out the 2009 preseason as well as the first three games of the regular season while awaiting medical clearance related to a career-threatening cardiac issue,” said Head Coach Cam Stoltz. “Amanda was not allowed to raise her heart rate for most of the summer. Without one minute of training or conditioning, she took off on a tear almost from the moment she hit the field, scoring 28 goals and racking up 10 assists in 16 games. During this time, Amanda also stood out as a scholar in the classroom.”

Because Olsen also sat out three games with a knee injury, her offensive output per games played proved particularly remarkable, earning her All-American status, an honor usually reserved for sophomores. An Exercise and Sport Science major, she will be returning to the team for the 2010–2011 season.