VIDEO: Bulldogs past and present congratulate Coach Olson on 500 wins
In anticipation of Drew Olson’s 500th victory as Head Coach of Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Basketball, the Athletic Communications office sent messages to a select group of Bulldogs with one request. (For practical purposes, we couldn’t connect with everyone!) In response, 12 former players coached by Olson submitted videos of congratulations on the milestone achievement. It’s a marker Olson has reached not even 20 full seasons into a head coaching career that began with the 2006-07 campaign.
During that time, Olson has coached many incredible players, personalities and overall upstanding Christian women. Here are some observations made from our re-connecting with former players in celebration of win No. 500:
· Grace Barry: The 2019 national tournament MVP gets the prize for first one to submit a congratulatory video. Grace has continued to be around the game of basketball and currently serves as Associate Head Coach at NCAA Division III Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
· Kristen (Conahan) Vogt: Her video submission was exactly three seconds long (in following the direction to keep it simple). It’s fitting when one considers that no player in program history has made more 3s than the 323 sunk by Kristen. She married another former Bulldog hooper in Adam Vogt. Kristen joked that her kids have no choice but to be good shooters.
· Colby (Duvel) Workman: She just might be the most outgoing personality that Olson has coached at Concordia. Colby was a member of the 2018-19 national championship team. Colby’s thoughts on viewing her own video submission: “cringe.”
· Amber (Kistler) Dean: A transfer to Concordia via Western Nebraska Community College, Amber played for Olson’s first national semifinal team of 2011-12. She earned NAIA Division II First Team All-America accolades while averaging 13.8 points per game that season. Amber had a special helper in her video!
· Mary (Janovich) Ware: Mary was never fond of interviews and wrote “still hate videos” when submitting her message to Coach Olson. We won’t bring up that one time Bailey Morris saved her in the national tournament media room! But Mary was a baller and a four-time GPAC All-Conference honoree.
· Philly Lammers: The program’s only four-time All-American, Philly eclipsed 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and was part of the most successful four-year run in program history. Now a registered nurse in the Phoenix area, Philly said to Olson, “Thank you so much for everything you did. You are amazing. Congratulations.”
· Bailey Morris: Still the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,054 career points, Bailey wore her University of South Dakota gear in her congratulatory video. The 2014-15 NAIA Division II Player of the Year has made a career out of basketball and serves as Assistant Coach/Director of Operations at USD.
· Tracy (Peitz) Hegeholz: A two-time NAIA All-American, Tracy definitely does not love being in front of a camera and certainly does not miss the postgame interviews. Tracy is seen holding her child in her video submission. Tracy won’t ever forget how Olson showed up on the day of her father’s funeral, two-and-a-half hours from Seward.
· Katie (Rich) Broekemeier: A two-time GPAC Defensive Player of the Year, Katie was part of the 2012 national semifinal team along with Kristen Conahan, Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz. Katie married Bulldog Football alum Heath Broekemeier. Katie and her family plan to attend an upcoming Concordia women’s basketball game in February.
· Taysha Rushton: Taysha sent her video while in the midst of another basketball season. After tallying 1,924 points over four seasons as a Bulldog, Taysha put up 486 points in 2024-25 at the University of Texas Permian Basin and has collected 177 points so far this season at NCAA DI Northern Kentucky University. Taysha misses beating Coach Olson one-on-one.
· Whitney (Stichka) Daberkow: A star from the very beginning of the Olson era, Whitney recalled a memory of a game at the Corn Palace from Olson’s first season. Afterwards, Olson bought the team Dippin’ Dots. Whitney then turned the camera towards the sixth-grade girls basketball team she coaches for another ‘congrats.’
· Quinn Wragge: Quinn was the lone senior on the 2018-19 national championship team. Out of Crofton, Neb., Quinn went on to compile 1,776 points and 833 rebounds in her standout Bulldog career. She has since made a career out of teaching and coaching.
Some of Olson’s notable coaching accomplishments, in addition to the 500 wins, include:
· 2019 NAIA Division II National Champions
· 12 GPAC Championships (six regular season; postseason)
· 16 national tournament appearances (29 national tournament wins)
· Five national semifinal appearances (two national runner-up claims)
· Has coached players to 28 All-America awards and one National Player of the Year honor
· 2019 NAIA Phyllis Holmes National Coach of the Year
· 2018 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NAIA National Coach of the Year
· Three-time GPAC Coach of the Year; four-time WBCA regional Coach of the Year
What Olson said when hired in 2006:
“You can only get head coaching experience by being a head coach. They’re unbelievable – probably hall of fame – coaches I’ve played for and learned from. They’ve all been excellent role models for me … Our dad has really made the trail in the coaching world. Both Jarrod (older brother) and I are looking to do the same. I really like small college basketball.”
What then AD Grant Schmidt said upon hiring Olson, 20 years ago:
“We want a winner; as a player, he certainly was. The only thing he is lacking is experience. We’re willing to look beyond that because we feel so strong about his other qualities.”
Active coaches with 500+ wins
According to the NAIA’s official website, Drew Olson is now one of eight active women’s basketball head coaches with at least 500 career wins. Prior to Jan. 21, another major milestone win came on Nov. 15, 2023, when Olson picked up No. 446 in his career, surpassing his former coach, Grant Schmidt, for the most coaching victories in the history of Concordia Athletics.