Phil Olson to Be Inducted into the Northwest University Eagle Hall of Fame
Kirkland, Wash. – Northwest University has announced that Phil Olson will be inducted into the 2016 Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 31, 2016. Olson was a cross country and track & field athlete at Northwest University from 1999 to 2003. Olson, an NAIA All-American, still holds school records in the 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter, and 4x800-meter relay on the track and the 2-mile, 4k, 2.6-mile, and 4-mile distances for cross country.
“Phil was a standout for Northwest,” said Coach Bill Taylor. “Phil practiced and competed hard and would do whatever he was capable of doing in each race.” During Olson’s senior year, he qualified for the NAIA National Championships in both the 10,000-meter and the 5,000-meter and ran both. Olson earned All-American honors in the 5,000-meter just two days after running the 10,000-meter. “Even under the best of circumstances, it was a gigantic challenge to race both races in such a short span of time. Then he went out, gave himself a chance, and got a huge reward…I couldn’t have been more proud of an athlete.”
Olson will be honored at the annual Eagle Hall of Fame Benefit, which supports student athletes. The Eagle Hall of Fame Benefit will be held at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington, and tickets are available to the public. The evening begins with a silent auction at 5:00 p.m., followed by dinner, the Hall of Fame induction, and a live auction at 6:30 p.m.
Event sponsorship opportunities are available and include VIP tickets for a pre-event reception.
Northwest University is a four-year, private Christian institution offering a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees to a student body of more than 1,600 students. NU is a member of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and the Cascade Collegiate Conference, which is comprised of 10 schools from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.