Head gymnastics coach Sam Morreale knew when he recruited freshman Jaelyn Olsen that she could take over the high scoring position on vault that former gymnast Tanya Rachan held last season.

On paper, that was the plan; that plan also included Olsen getting a shot competing as an all-arounder. Throughout the season, Olsen has battled a hamstring injury that has limited her ability to compete in meets, aside from vault.

Morreale sees a lot in Olsen that he wants to see from gymnasts at any stage, and those characteristics led to her recruitment.

“She’s just very polished, she performs very well,” Morreale said. “She’s very clean in all of her movements. She’s a kid who we expect big things moving forward. She’s that competent on vault, but really she’s that good everywhere. She’s humble, she’s a great teammate, she works hard, and she’s everything I’m looking for in an athlete.”

In that recruiting process, Olsen, who grew up in Oklahoma, said there was not a whole lot to her recruitment by Morreale.

“I made it to NIT nationals and he was there,” Olsen said. “I won that meet. After that we just emailed back and forth, then I took an unofficial here, then an official, and then I decided I wanted to come here.”

As simple as that was, there was still the process of living in a new state on her own. Olsen, seemingly unfazed by much, has taken that as a positive, as well.

“Now I’m by myself, my parents are back home but they come to every meet so I get to see them then,” Olsen said. “I like the transition; I’m more independent, so it’s been pretty easy so far.”

While Olsen may be on her own, she believes gymnastics has helped been the stabilizing factor in her new school environment. Coming from club gymnastics, the college level and group size has been a benefit and a positive experience for her. Even the practices are better for her due to this social element.

“I like it better than club gymnastics,” Olsen said. “It was every single day, but now practices are hard but it just seems different in a way. It’s more of a team atmosphere. I had a team back home [but] it was only four people, so now I just feel that connection.”

As far as competition, Olsen is averaging a 9.766 for the season on vault through six events so far. This includes posting her high of the year and getting into the Huskie record books with the seventh best vault score ever with a 9.875.

Olsen has stepped in and become the Huskies’ leading vaulter, taking over from Rachan in a seamless transition. Olsen doesn’t pay too much attention to any kind of burden for being that leader already.

“It hasn’t really got in my mind, like pressure, I just go out there and I know what I have to do,” Olsen said.

While Olsen will finish out this season as presumably just a vaulter, the freshman has goals already laid out for the coming summer and beyond.

“I feel like vault is my strongest [event] but I just want to continue hitting routines and in the summer maybe train a more difficult vault and hopefully continue all around next year. Those are my goals,” Olsen said.