By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

MOBRIDGE — Heidi Olson is trading the windswept plains of South Dakota for the mountains of Montana. 

The Mobridge-Pollock High School senior visited the University of Montana, located in scenic Missoula, in January for an official visit. It’s quite a change from Mobridge, which has a population of roughly 3,200 people in north central South Dakota. 

But Olson fell in love with Missoula (population: 75,000) and recently signed a national letter of intent to run cross-country and track and field for the Grizzlies. 

“I decided on Montana because when I got there I kind of fell in love with the environment and the atmosphere,” Olson said. “It was super pretty with all the mountains and I really connected with the girls on the team and the coach. I just really liked the team and what I thought I could do there and how I could grow as an athlete.”

MOPO’s Heidi Olson will be running track and cross country at the University of Montana next year! Signed her letter of intent tonight. Good Luck Heidi! #sdpreps pic.twitter.com/e7iTpiJIL1

— MOPO Tigers (@MopoTigers) February 27, 2024

Olson was contacted by Montana cross-country assistant coach A.J. Eckmann, who has family ties in Herreid, during the recruiting process. Olson, who also considered Black Hills State University, liked Eckmann’s recruiting pitch and how the program was run. 

Olson, who plans to major in exercise science, didn’t rush into her decision and felt relieved after picking the Grizzlies.  

“That’s why I kind of made it later because this is a big decision,” Olson said. “I have to spend the next four years at that school. So I want to make sure this is where I see myself and I did get a little sense of relief that it’s finally over and I don’t have to worry anymore.”

Her recent signing ceremony was a momentous occasion for Olson and Mobridge-Pollock, a Class A school in South Dakota. Mobridge hasn’t produced a major Division I track and field athlete since 2006 graduate Billy Hardcastle, a former thrower at Purdue University. 

“It’s phenomenal for our school to see that,” said Mobridge-Pollock cross-country coach Caitlin Friesz, a Mobridge graduate. “Heidi is going to open that great big door for the running world of Mobridge-Pollock for others to follow in her footsteps. She is opening a great big landmark for our school.”

Olson, who recently wrapped up her high school basketball season, has faced some challenges in her running career. As a junior, she strained both hip flexors and her groin muscle during the basketball season. She ran during the track and field season, but “I didn’t start running until Easter and so it was just not ideal for me.”

At last season’s track and field meet, she placed 10th in the 1,600-meter run (5:21.77) and ninth in the 3,200-meter run (11:30.49). She tweaked the injury during the cross-country season and finished 23rd at the Class A state meet. 

The nagging injuries tested her physically, but more so mentally than anything else. 

“It was really hard, honestly,” Olson said. “I never went through anything like that before. So I think it was more mentally hard because I couldn't run like I was used to and I couldn’t function. I couldn’t drive my legs as hard as I wanted to. It was so much of a struggle, honestly.”

Friesz described Olson as a “determined and resilient” athlete, pointing to her mental toughness as a testament to that. 

“She was always determined to be better and she was resilient,” Friesz said. “As a runner you have a lot of time to think, and your mind can be one of your worst advocates for you when you are running and she encountered some of that. But she never one time would give up on that. She had goals that she wanted to work at.”

With basketball in the rearview mirror, Olson’s goals are now in plain sight and physically she feels great.

“This basketball season I had no pain,” Olson said. “I feel much faster and stronger. I am really excited for this track season.”  

Track and field teams can start practice next week and Olson is motivated for a big senior season.

“I can’t wait for the season,” Olson said. “I feel really good about where I am physically. I can’t wait to just really focus on it and train for it. I want to see some PRs and bring home some hardware from the state meet.”

But no matter what, Olson has left a mark on the runners at Mobridge-Pollock. Friesz noted the Tigers fielded a junior high school girls team this fall, a first in her three-year tenure.

And Olson played a major role in building up the Mobridge-Pollock cross-country program. 

“The young girls look at her and see somebody who they can see themselves in,” Friesz said. “Somebody who is dedicated. Somebody who can do great things. So for her to sign and for those girls on the team being there watching her sign that piece of paper — there are no words to be able to describe how amazing that is for the school, for Heidi and for the girls who she is a role model for. It’s amazing.”