LARAMIE, Wyo. (July 23, 2020) – With the Cowgirls owning a 9-9 overall record and a 5-4 ledger against Mountain West teams, sophomore Tommi Olson found out she was going to start for Wyoming on the road against Utah State. Over the next 11 games with Olson in the starting lineup, Wyoming went 8-3.
 
She had never started a game during her first year-and-a-half in the Brown and Gold. However, in her first start, she put up career highs in points, rebounds, assists, made field goals and minutes. But don't ask her to fully recount the game; it was a blur for the Worldand, Wyo., native.
 
"It was good, and honestly, I don't really remember a whole lot of it because I was kind of blacking out," Olson said with a laugh. "No, but I really enjoyed it, and it helped that Taylor (Rusk) was always like 'hey, you got this,' and Quinn (Weidemann) was there for me. I'm really grateful for the opportunity."
 
Olson started in place of former Cowgirl Karla Erjavec, who was battling an illness during the second half of the season. Once it was clear Erjavec would be unable to play, head coach Gerald Mattinson knew what he was going to do. After all, Olson had been backing up Erjavec at point guard leading up to that game.
 
"It was pretty obvious we were going to put Tommi in," Mattinson said. "She was playing the back-up role at point guard. We felt confident with what she could do defensively. Offensively, we would have to see what was going to happen with her point production. But she played at a very high level, and we were excited with the intensity she showed on the defensive end. She played at a higher level than we thought she was capable of doing on that end."
 
Against the Aggies, Olson came down with a game- and career-high eight rebounds, despite measuring in at 5 feet, 6 inches. She led the game with seven assists and only sat for one minute. She made a pair of field goals and scored a career-high four points. The game-high in rebounds was a sign of things to come.
 
Most nights, she would be one of the shortest players on the court, but over the final 11 games of the season, she was the Cowgirls' best rebounder. She averaged 6.5 rebounds per game during that stretch, while second-best on the team recorded 5.5 rebounds per contest. Sometimes Olson was in the right place at the right time, but more often than not, she had the willpower to come away with the ball.
 
"I would say that I play hard," Olson said. "I feel like that's something I don't ever want people to question, is if I'm putting in full effort and playing my hardest. So, I play hard and I just do what I have to do and what my job is."
 
After taking down Utah State on the road, the Cowgirls hosted San José State and the league's leading scorer, Ayzhiana Basallo. It was Olson's first start at home, playing for her home team.
 
"That was really fun," Olson said. "I'm still really thankful for everything that happened. Same thing there, Taylor was like 'you got this, you're ready.' We had prepared all week, so it was a matter of going out and doing it."
 
Tasked with guarding Basallo for a majority of the game, Olson held the prolific scorer to just 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Olson pressed the ball defensively and forced numerous Spartan mistakes in front of her home crowd. The Cowgirls earned an 80-45 blowout victory over the second-place Spartans.
 
"I think Tommi brought a lot and helped us through that period, especially on the defensive end," Mattinson said. "She allowed us to do some things that we haven't been able to do for a while here in the past. She was quick enough where she could double-down on the post and still get back out and guard somebody. She put pressure on the ball coming up the court."
 
After a couple of tough losses, the Cowgirls won six games in a row, including a road win over rival Colorado State. Olson scored a career-high 10 points and hit a pair of three-pointers as the Rams dared her to shoot.
 
To end the regular season, the Cowgirls welcomed league-leading Fresno State to the Arena-Auditorium, and handed the Bulldogs a 64-55 defeat at 7,220 feet. Olson and the Cowgirls used the elevation to their advantage to pick up the important win.
 
"I think pushing the ball was something that clicked with us," Olson said. "Sometimes it got us into bad situations, but for the most part, it was something that really helped us and gave us an advantage, especially with Fresno State and all the teams that come from sea level. I think that was a big thing, and also coming together and playing as one was also something that we really felt improved by the end of the season."
 
The Cowgirls opened the MW Tournament against Utah State, and found themselves trailing by 16 in the second half. However, Wyoming fought back, and with a three pointer in front of her bench to start the fourth-quarter, Olson gave the Cowgirls a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game.
 
Olson walked on to the Cowgirls as a freshman, but earned a scholarship before her sophomore year. Olson took advantage of an opportunity to join the starting lineup, and the former walk-on never looked back.
 
"To Tommi's credit, she kept working before we gave her a scholarship, she kept working hard after we gave her the scholarship and she was ready to step up to the opportunity she was given," Mattinson said. "She took advantage of it. I always tell our players, if you keep working and keep preparing, you're going to have an opportunity. Whether that opportunity is in a game or in practice to prove yourself, you have to be ready for it, and to Tommi's credit, she was ready. She stepped up and helped the team to have a great deal of success."
 
Olson is one of three Cowgirls in Laramie this summer working out and getting ready for the 2020-21 season, along with Weidemann and Jaye Johnson.
 
"I know she's one of those here now working in the offseason," Mattinson said. "She chose to come back, and she's been putting in her time. I think she's excited, and hopefully she can continue to progress into this next year."