KAMLOOPS – After an outstanding five seasons with the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team Thomas Olsen was honoured at the conference level Thursday, as he was named the winner of the Canada West Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
FULL CANADA WEST AWARD WINNERS
Earning U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian status in all five of his seasons with TRU, the chemical biology student has left an impact that will extend far beyond the basketball court.
"We are extremely proud of Thomas Olsen for being named the recipient of the Canada West Student-Athlete Community Service Award," said WolfPack head coach Chad Jacobson. "He is the epitome of what being a student-athlete is all about. An Academic All-Canadian in the classroom, an active and contributing member in his community, and a fierce competitor and leader on the court, Thomas checks all the boxes of what this award truly entails.
Joining the 'Pack from Surrey, B.C. back in 2021, Olsen has grown into a leader not only for his team but for the larger Kamloops community. Deeply committed to service in the Kamloops community, the WolfPack captain has played a leading role with Motionball, a non-profit supporting Special Olympics athletes. During his time as an executive committee member, the organization has helped raise more than $50,000 for programming and awareness initiatives. He also volunteers in the emergency department at Royal Inland Hospital and mentors local youth through the Play Forever program, encouraging youth to participate in sport.
Academically, Olsen has matched that same level of dedication. He carries a 4.33 GPA while pursuing a Bachelor of Chemical Biology, with plans to attend medical school following graduation. Olsen has balanced elite academic achievement with the demands of Canada West men's basketball, serving as team captain in his final season.
On campus, Olsen continues to lead by example. As a PACE (Pack Academic Edge) program leader, he guides study hall sessions for first-year WolfPack student-athletes and supports their transition to university life. He has also represented men's basketball on the WolfPack Athletic Council for the past two years, contributing to fundraising initiatives, student-athlete programming, and community engagement efforts.
On the court Olsen will go down as one of the hardest workers in program history. The hard-nosed forward has played in 79 conference games for the WolfPack, starting in 56 of those contests, both marks that put him ninth in program history in those categories. Olsen has scored 421 points in Canada West play and ranks seventh in the program record book with 347 rebounds.
Olsen becomes the sixth member of the 'Pack to win a Canada West award and the third to earn the title of Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner after Asher Mayan won the award just last season and Micheal Rouault in 2019-20. He will now move forward as the Canada West nominee for the U SPORTS Ken Shields award.
"Thomas' hard work, commitment, and dedication to making a difference to all those around him, and his pursuit of excellence in everything he does is what made him such an impactful member of our program and our community."
