Olsen Named WIAC Football Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient
UW-Oshkosh senior center Mike Olsen has been named the 2020 recipient of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Max Sparger Football Scholar-Athlete Award.
Olsen, who owns a 3.66 grade-point average as an academic major in both supply chain management and finance, is the sixth Titan to receive the award, joining previous winners Rob Stoltz in 1996, Craig Pierstorff in 1999, Cory Wipperfurth in 2013, Branden Lloyd in 2016 and Turner Geisthardt in 2018.
Earlier this fall Olsen was one of 40 NCAA Division III semifinalists (199 overall) for the National Football Foundation's 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award that recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. In 2019 he received the UW-Oshkosh Dr. Brent Bandy Scholarship for his high level of academic success and involvement in extracurricular activities (excluding athletics).
Olsen is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has been recognized on UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List four times and the school's honor roll once. The Arrowhead Union High School graduate has served as president of UW-Oshkosh's Supply Chain Management Club for the past three years. Olsen has participated in internships at Amcor and the Kohler Co.
On the football field, Olsen steered a UW-Oshkosh offensive line that led the WIAC with 14 sacks allowed and 4.7 yards per rushing attempt in 2019. Olsen and the Titan offensive line paved the way for UW-Oshkosh to rank second in the conference with 2,027 rushing yards. He was named D3football.com All-America Second Team, D3football.com All-West Region First Team and All-WIAC First Team in 2019.
UW-Oshkosh (8-3, 6-1 WIAC) clinched a share of its 11th conference title in 2019 and secured the league's automatic berth into the Division III Championship by defeating UW-Whitewater in the regular season finale in Oshkosh. The Titans' fifth NCAA postseason appearance in the past eight seasons ended with a 38-37 overtime loss at Central College (Iowa) during the first round.
Olsen was a member of UW-Oshkosh's 2017 team that compiled a 12-1 record, went undefeated in conference play and advanced to the semifinals of the Division III Championship.
Earlier this summer Olsen received preseason All-America honors from College Football America, D3football.com, Lindy's Sports and Street & Smith's.
UW-Oshkosh, which had its 2020 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was ranked in Division III's preseason top 25 by Street & Smith's College Football Yearbook (11th), Lindy's Sports (15th) and College Football America Yearbook (18th).
Also nominated for this year's WIAC Max Sparger Football Scholar-Athlete Award were UW-Eau Claire's Samuel Burzynski, UW-La Crosse's Markus Torpman, UW-Platteville's Zach Krause, UW-Stout's Bailey Roux and UW-Whitewater's Kyle Gannon.
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including as an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout's athletics director from 1969-71.
In order to be nominated for the conference's scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade-point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.