Jarrod Olson Named College Insider Kay Yow National Coach of the Year
3/31/2021 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE – CollegeInsider.com has announced California Baptist University women's basketball head coach Jarrod Olson as the recipient of the 2020-21 Kay Yow National Coach of the Year Award. This award is given annually to the top coach in Women's Division I college basketball. Olson was also awarded his second Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award earlier this year after leading the Lancers to the program's first-ever regular-season and tournament championships.
The Lancers also became the first team in NCAA Division I since UConn in 2017-18 to remain undefeated through the regular season and win their conference tournament, joining a list that only includes those Huskies, Notre Dame, and Baylor as the only programs to accomplish that feat since 1998. CBU also became the first WAC team since 2003 to win a WNIT game when it took down the regular-season Mountain West Champions in New Mexico in round one. The Lancers are the first WAC team to win multiple WNIT games since 1998 after defeating San Francisco in round two.
Coach Olson led the Lancers to a 26-1 season record where they set multiple school, conference, and national marks along the way. At its peak, CBU held a 29-game win streak which was the longest in the nation and stretched from February 29, 2020, until March 22, 2021. College Insider ranked the team as high as No. 5 in their final Mid Major Top-25 Poll of the season, the same week the Lancers received their first-ever Associated Press Top-25 vote.
Olson has spent his nine seasons in Riverside doing nothing but winning. He has amassed a 211-71 (74.8%) record while upping his career head coaching record to 347-167 (67.5%). His head coaching career spans two years at the NAIA level, twelve years between two schools in Division II, and three Division I seasons. In 2020-21 alone, his 26-1 record (96.3%) set the mark for the highest single-season winning percentage in WAC history.
Olson's ability to coach is unquestioned as he has shown he can build up players over a four-year span, fit transfers into his system seamlessly, recruit freshmen who are ready to make an impact immediately, and safely and successfully work players back from injuries. Those are all proven in this year's squad as four-year starter Ane Olaeta won WAC Player of the Year, Mt. San Jacinto CC transfer Britney Thomas earned her second First Team All-WAC award, Caitlyn Harper earned Second Team honors a year removed from a season-ending knee injury, and true freshman Nicole Avila-Ambrosi was named to the WAC All-Newcomer team after being the fourth-leading scorer on the team with 10.9 points per game.
This year, Olson's team was well known for creating offense out of defense as the Lancers led the WAC in offensive and defensive field-goal and three-point field goal percentages. CBU was the only team in Division I, men or women, to average over 21 assists per game at 21.3.
The Kay Yow Award was established in 2010 and is presented annually to the Division I women's head coach who embodies a winning spirit while displaying great character, on and off the court. Yow, who lost a long battle with cancer in 2009, became the sixth head coach in the history of Division I women's basketball to reach the 700-win plateau, finishing with a sterling record of 737-344 in 34 seasons at NC State. She was successful in every forum, leading gold medal winners at the 1981 World University Games, the 1986 Goodwill Games, the 1986 World Championship Games and the 1988 Olympic Games.
𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧❗️
Congratulations to Head Coach Jarrod Olson on being named the @CollegeInsider Kay Yow National Coach of the Year!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/IpeZpBHvma— California Baptist Women's Basketball (@CBUwbb) March 31, 2021
The Lancers also became the first team in NCAA Division I since UConn in 2017-18 to remain undefeated through the regular season and win their conference tournament, joining a list that only includes those Huskies, Notre Dame, and Baylor as the only programs to accomplish that feat since 1998. CBU also became the first WAC team since 2003 to win a WNIT game when it took down the regular-season Mountain West Champions in New Mexico in round one. The Lancers are the first WAC team to win multiple WNIT games since 1998 after defeating San Francisco in round two.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!#LanceUp⚔️ | #WACVegas pic.twitter.com/oqxFhZHJNS— California Baptist Women's Basketball (@CBUwbb) March 13, 2021
Coach Olson led the Lancers to a 26-1 season record where they set multiple school, conference, and national marks along the way. At its peak, CBU held a 29-game win streak which was the longest in the nation and stretched from February 29, 2020, until March 22, 2021. College Insider ranked the team as high as No. 5 in their final Mid Major Top-25 Poll of the season, the same week the Lancers received their first-ever Associated Press Top-25 vote.
🗳️
For the first time in program history, the Lancers have received a vote in the @AP_Top25 Poll!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/reg7fjajJI— California Baptist Women's Basketball (@CBUwbb) March 15, 2021
Olson has spent his nine seasons in Riverside doing nothing but winning. He has amassed a 211-71 (74.8%) record while upping his career head coaching record to 347-167 (67.5%). His head coaching career spans two years at the NAIA level, twelve years between two schools in Division II, and three Division I seasons. In 2020-21 alone, his 26-1 record (96.3%) set the mark for the highest single-season winning percentage in WAC history.
Olson's ability to coach is unquestioned as he has shown he can build up players over a four-year span, fit transfers into his system seamlessly, recruit freshmen who are ready to make an impact immediately, and safely and successfully work players back from injuries. Those are all proven in this year's squad as four-year starter Ane Olaeta won WAC Player of the Year, Mt. San Jacinto CC transfer Britney Thomas earned her second First Team All-WAC award, Caitlyn Harper earned Second Team honors a year removed from a season-ending knee injury, and true freshman Nicole Avila-Ambrosi was named to the WAC All-Newcomer team after being the fourth-leading scorer on the team with 10.9 points per game.
📽️🎞️
Congratulations Ane!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/oFmjyRs9rp— California Baptist Women's Basketball (@CBUwbb) March 8, 2021
This year, Olson's team was well known for creating offense out of defense as the Lancers led the WAC in offensive and defensive field-goal and three-point field goal percentages. CBU was the only team in Division I, men or women, to average over 21 assists per game at 21.3.
The Kay Yow Award was established in 2010 and is presented annually to the Division I women's head coach who embodies a winning spirit while displaying great character, on and off the court. Yow, who lost a long battle with cancer in 2009, became the sixth head coach in the history of Division I women's basketball to reach the 700-win plateau, finishing with a sterling record of 737-344 in 34 seasons at NC State. She was successful in every forum, leading gold medal winners at the 1981 World University Games, the 1986 Goodwill Games, the 1986 World Championship Games and the 1988 Olympic Games.
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