Elise Næss Olsen, a fly/free specialist from Norway, has made a verbal commitment to Florida State University for the 2017-18 season. At only 19, Olsen already has a list of stamps in her passport from representing Norway in international competition. She holds several Norwegian junior records -in both short and long course meters- in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke.
Following a successful Nordic Short Course Championships in December of 2013, in which she swam the 200 free (1:59.96), 50 fly (26.66), and 100 fly (59.43), Olsen was selected to the European Short Course Championships in Herning, Denmark the following week. There she went lifetime bests in the 50 fly (26.13), 100 fly (58.48), and 100 free (55.17), which still hold today. At the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Doha, Qatar in December, 2014, she competed in the 50 fly, 100 fly, and 100 back, in addition to Norway’s 4×50 mixed medley relay.
At the Norway Long Course Championships in July of 2015, Olsen won the national title in the 50m back (29.94) and placed fifth in the 50m free (26.22). Her best LCM times come from the II Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China in the summer of 2014. She went 56.60 to place 14th in the 100 free, and 1:00.23 to take 7th in the 100 fly. She was also sixth in the 50 fly (26.85).
“Having considered a number of excellent programs I decided on FSU for several reasons; As a sprinter, I very much like and agree with Coach Studds´s training philosophy and the chemistry was great from day one with him and his coaching staff. The «tailored and individual» approach recognizing each athletes background and need is something that played a key role in my decision. FSU has the facilities and resources to build a great program and I am very much looking forward to be part of its development. Coming from Europe, the fact that Coach Studd’s has a background from European swimming was played a significant role in my choice of going FSU.”
Her top times are:
| SCM (converted to SCY) | LCM (converted to SCY) | |
| 50 fly | 26.13 (23.54) | 26.74 (23.45) |
| 100 fly | 58.48 (52.68) | 1:00.23 (52.99) |
| 50 free | 25.50 (22.97) | 25.82 (22.54) |
| 100 free | 55.17 (49.55) | 56.60 (49.54) |
| 200 free | 1:59.96 (1:48.07) | 2:05.29 (1:49.99) |
| 50 back | 28.21 (25.41) | . |
| 100 back | 1:00.94 (54.90) | . |
Olsen is the third international, and the 13th verbal commit, for the Florida State class of 2021. She’ll be joining: Ana Guilia Zortea, Audrey Mooney, Bella English, Hailey Ladd, Kara Coughlin, Kile Carriger, Kathryn Petrone, Maddie Cohen, Madison Holland, Madison Tyle, Natalie Widmer, and Paige Schendelaar-Kemp.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email to [email protected]