Parkersburg High’s Alex Olson chooses West Liberty
Will continue tennis career as a Hilltopper
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PARKERSBURG -- Parkersburg High tennis player Alex Olson's first contact with West Liberty University tennis coach Heather Gallagher was not the formal introduction typically experienced by many college recruits around the country.
The Hilltoppers' leading lady sneakily introduced herself while in attendance at a tournament the then-Big Red junior was participating in.
"She came up and just introduced herself as Heather Gallagher, not as the head coach of any college tennis team at all," said the soon-to-be Big Red alum. "At first, I thought she was just talking to me because she knew my dad but I got an email from her a few days later and remembered thinking 'Oh wow, I talked to this girl,' and then when I found out who she was and that she wanted me to play tennis for West Liberty it became a surreal moment."
Gallagher's first impression made such a big impact on the Big Red netter she inked her National Letter of Intent among friends, family, and teammates Tuesday at Parkersburg City Park tennis courts.
"They were the first school to contact me and I think the first one always sticks in your head the longest," said Olson. "I think that is a part of the reason the school ended up being my first choice."
Jeff and Gabby Olson's oldest child long held the dream of playing collegiate tennis and the sport flows in her blood.
"Tennis has always been a family thing," said Olson, who played softball, basketball, and swam in her earlier years, but settled on tennis when it was time to pick a sport to specialize in playing.
"My grandparents, the Warners, helped build the courts down at Jackson Park. My great uncle Dan Warner was inducted into a Florida tennis hall of fame, my dad still plays so was just something I was born into.
"I remember wanting to quit a lot early on. I remember thinking 'This isn't going to work and that I chose the wrong sport – I could have played softball, I was okay at softball and could have stuck with it and been on the high school team but growing up around tennis I always knew I would have the family support there. I figured if the rest of my family who are the most impatient people I know could stick with it then I probably could too."
Parkersburg High's female netter spent the past two seasons as the top player of the girls' squad. She qualified for the state tournament in singles and doubles last season.
WLU was not alone in its pursuit of Olson. She also saw interest from Division II Concord and Division III schools West Minster and University of Charleston among others.
Zero Division I schools came into the picture as Olson wanted to stick with a small school at first.
"I figured it was probably best to start out with a small school," she said. "I figured I have the rest of my college experience to go to a big school if I wanted to."
"I am ecstactic," said mom Gabby when asked about her daughter's selection. "I think this is a perfect fit for her. I am super proud of her, she has been playing tennis since she was six years old and she works hard every single day.
"I am also happy we will be able to see some of her matches in college."
During her time at as a Hilltopper, Olson's main path of study will be athletic training, with a minor in biology.
Her plan is to eventually go into physical therapy.
"When my dad had his total knee replacement surgery, I kind of acted as his in-home nurse and waited on him a lot," said Olson. "I went to PT with him a lot and fell in love with it. I helped him with a lot of his at-home phyiscal exercises and fell in love with the idea of helping people."
Her choice of athletic training over exercise physiology stayed true to her selection. Olson hopes to speicalize in athletic rehabilitation.