By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CLEVELAND, Ohio – As the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association announced its 26th annual Academic All-Star Team on Sunday, Tennessee Tech came away with a selection on the roster as kicker Hayden Olsen was named to the 52-player squad.
Olsen, who was also selected to the inaugural Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association's All-Academic Team, has posted a 3.85 grade point average in exercise science and physical wellness.
He completed the 2023 campaign going 7-for-11 on field goals, including a career-long 54-yard kick against UT Martin. That kick tied Nick Madonia and Haidar Zaidan for the second-longest field goal in program history, earning a STATS FCS FedEx Ground National Special Teams Player of the Week honorable mention nod for the effort.
Olsen, a product of Buford, Ga., has continued to stay perfect on PATs, hitting all 24 he attempted in 2023 to extend his career streak to 90-for-90, leaving him 10 away from tying the OVC record of 100 consecutive PATs, set by Middle Tennessee's Garth Petrilli between 1991 and 1993.
Olsen joins Eastern Illinois offensive lineman Chad Strickland, Lindenwood offensive lineman Ethan Johnson and Robert Morris offensive lineman Luke Beltavski on the roster.
The 52 players were selected from a pool of 104 nominees. The Colonial Athletic Association and United Athletic Conference each had eight picks, while the Missouri Valley Football Conference had seven and the Big Sky Conference six.
Players from all FCS institutions were eligible for the award with a minimum 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and had to be a starter or key player. The student-athlete must have also reached their second year of athletics and academic standing, completing a minimum of one full academic year at the nominating institution. They must have played in 50 percent of the games played at their designated position.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
