How Shawn Olmstead brought BYU men’s volleyball back as national championship contenders
Seventeen years ago, BYU men’s volleyball head coach Shawn Olmstead lifted the men’s volleyball NCAA National Championship trophy as a libero for the Cougars.
In the 10-year gap between the national championship win and Olmstead being named head coach, BYU made the NCAA Championship game once in its two NCAA tournament appearances and won one MPSF Championship.
Now, Olmstead has brought BYU men’s volleyball back to glory as the Cougars have made the NCAA Championship game and won an MPSF Tournament title twice during his five-year tenure.
The No. 2 BYU men's volleyball team hung on to sweep No. 4 Grand Canyon University in front of 700 fans in the MPSF semifinal at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.
No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball shows out in Senior Night win over USC
The No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball team put on a show on Senior Night in a 3-1 win over USC in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.
“What a wonderful group,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said of the seniors. “I told them what they mean to this program. They’ve done amazing things.”
The Cougars were led by a strong senior presence in their lineup, as six of the seven starters were seniors.
From left: Cyrus Fa’alogo, Zach Eschenberg, Zach Hendrickson, Gabi Garcia Fernandez, Felipe de Brito Ferreira, Wil Stanley and Miki Jauhiainen are honored on Senior Night prior to the match against USC. Six seniors started against the Trojans. (Hannah Miner)
Olympic overview: BYU track and cross country teams take home national championships
The BYU track and cross country teams had a heyday at NCAA nationals, taking first place as a team in the women’s distance medley relay and women’s cross country, as well as individually in men’s cross country.
Cross Country
The BYU women’s cross country team won the NCAA National Championship on March 15, the Cougars’ fifth team national title in program history. The team competed at the OSU Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma, finishing with 96 overall points.
BYU had seven runners competing, five of which finished in the top 40. Senior Anna Camp-Bennet led the way for the Cougars, finishing the 6K course in just 20:28.3, 11th place overall. Junior Aubrey Frentheway and senior Whittni Orton were not far behind her, finishing 15th and 17th respectively.
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The Cougars celebrate a point against Stanford on March 12 in the Smith Fieldhouse. Fans were in attendance for the first time in over a year. (Hannah Miner)
March 12, 2021
No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball continues hot streak in first game in front of fans in over a year
The BYU men’s volleyball team hosted fans at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday for the first time in over a year and treated them to a show with a sweep over Stanford.
“We really wanted to play for the fans. Having fans is definitely a big factor for us.” senior setter Wil Stanley said.