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Luke Olson wrapped up his college outdoor track career earlier this spring, perhaps closing the book on a magnificent run that included a state title in high school.
A 2020 Ely High School graduate, Olson competed the last four years at NCAA Division I South Dakota, where he stood out in both indoor and outdoor track.
In the final meet of the season, Olson placed ninth in the 800 run at the Summit League Championships, held at St. Paul.
That ended an outdoor season that the former Timberwolf conceded wasn’t as good as the indoor campaign, which included a fourth place finish in the 800 at the Summit indoor meet.
He also was part of both second and third-place relays at the league’s indoor championships during the early spring.
“The indoor was definitely better than the outdoor,” said Olson.
That may have been in part due to the grueling schedule Olson maintained in his senior campaign, which coincided with his first year in the school’s physical therapy program.
He previously graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
“It was a lot but I’m glad I did it,” said Olson. “This whole year my results weren’t as good, but I could only practice two or three days a week.”
During the indoor campaign, Olson placed fourth in the Summit in the 800 with a time of 1:54.18.
He also joined three other Coyotes on a four-by-400 relay team that placed second and a distance medley combination that took third.
Among the highlights of the outdoor season was a third-place finish in the 800 in the April South Dakota challenge.
As a junior, Olson garnered all-Summit League honors in the 800 meters and the four-by-400 meter relay. He finished runner-up in the 800 meters at the Summit League Championships in a season-best time of 1:52.15, and also anchored the Coyotes’ third place four-by-400 and ran on USD’s sixth-place distance medley relay at the Summit meet.
Olson took up track as a junior at Ely and won the state title in his first season. He was unable to defend the crown during his senior year after spring sports were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
South Dakota was next and Olson quickly got accustomed to the changes and the heavier demands of collegiate athletics.
“You have to earn a spot to travel to every meet,” said Olson. “Rather in high school where you go to every meet. In college it’s full throttle the whole time, but that’s OK if you know that’s what you are here to do.”
Olson added that “it turns into more of a job in college,” but the grind “kept me on track for school. You don’t have time for anything other than school and track.”
