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JCC names Brian Olsen head coach of cross country teams
He was part of the last cross country team to compete from Jackson Community College in 1981. Now, Brian Olsen will serve as coach of the new Jets men's and women's cross country team this fall.
Olsen is well-known around Jackson County running circles. He serves as head coach for cross country and track at Jackson High School, and he and wife, Martha, have coached on and off since 1986. A native of the Jackson area, he received two associate degrees from JCC, the first in 1981 and another in 1994, in nursing. He attended Oklahoma State University on an athletic scholarship, and eventually graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in business. Olsen continues to run competitively, and two years ago was named a Master Runner of Year for the State of Michigan for runners over the age of 40.
"I thought it was a great opportunity to train athletes at the next level," Olsen said. He is currently very involved with student athletes throughout Jackson County through a junior Olympics program he began for cross country runners, and a summer running program he started at the Cascades in Jackson.
Olsen sees this first season as a building year for the program, and will quickly go to work on recruitment.
"We're very excited to have him. He's not only an alumnus of our institution, he's one of the best coaches you can ask for," said Stephen Bloomfield, JCC's assistant dean for student life and athletic director.
