Mike Olsen enters his second season as Head Men’s and Women’s Track and Field coach at Triton College.
Before Triton, Olsen had been a strength and conditioning coach at OCF for six years, where he worked with various athletes from youth to professional athletes, working on improving their skills in speed and strength. In 2011, Olsen founded a running club, allowing him to work with over one hundred athletes to help them achieve running success, from increasing 40 yard dash times to completing the Chicago Marathon. During the summer of 2014, Olsen was fortunate enough to spend some time with the New Orleans Saints. During this period, he was able to work with and view how a professional team programs workouts for their athletes. As a track and field athlete, it is paramount to understand how all components of sleep, training, and diet effect performance.
As an athlete, Olsen was very successful at various levels. During his time at East Leyden High School, Olsen captured seven track records. He had five indoor (4X1, 4X4, 4X8, 600m, 800m), and two outdoor records (4X4 and 4X8). In 2001, he ran for College of DuPage, helping their team finish third at the NJCAA National Championships. He competed in six events (4X1, 4X4, 4X8, 800, 400, 400 Hurdles) and was All – American in 2 events (4X1 and 4X4). Also, as a football player, Olsen led the state of Illinois in interceptions and set a Leyden Record with seven interceptions. This led him to play in the 1998 East/West Shriners game, where he was MVP runner up with 1 interception and 12 tackles.
Olsen received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Sport Management. He currently is a father of 4 boys: Tyler, Carter, Chase, and Zac. In his free time, he enjoys training, coaching his sons in sports, and spending time with friends and family.