Hockey | 11/23/2024 9:20:00 AM
Crookston, Minn. - The history of the University of Minnesota Crookston is one with a lot of names. Whether it be the names of the school, the different names of the mascots, or the many students, faculty and staff that have made their impacts on campus. One of the most impactful names in the school's history, is a name that has been passed through generations at the University. The Olsonawski's. Starting with Gerald Olsonawski in the mid-1960's, and stretching all the way to today, where Wyatt Olsonawski attends as a Golden Eagle.
The Olsonawski family, originating in Hallock, Minnesota, has also had a major impact on the athletics program. With Wyatt currently playing for the hockey team, his uncles Mark and Mike Olsonawski both played football, with Mark also playing hockey, and his father Nathan Olsonawski played hockey. For the Olsonawski's, being a Golden Eagle is extremely important. Wyatt told me "I think with the history of my family, I feel kind of privileged to be a Golden Eagle considering all the stories that I've heard from my family. I feel proud to be a Golden Eagle considering the lineage I have." His uncle Mark is one of the most important Golden Eagle athletes, he is the record holder for most rushing yards, most career receptions, and most career touchdowns for the Golden Eagles football program. When I asked Mark what it means to not only be a Golden Eagle, but what does it mean to be an Olsonawski, he said "Ultimately it is, what example are you setting? And it better be one that can be a role model for others."
One of the important things to each member of the Olsonawski family is that they leave their own legacy when they graduate from the University of Minnesota Crookston. "I think for me it's a different time and it's a new program and I feel like it's almost like I'm kind of starting my own story. I've worked my way through hockey for a long time and I feel like now, even though I've heard all the things about Mark coming in here and how much he's done for the program, I still feel like I'm kind of writing my own story and I get to try to leave my own mark here at UMC." is the way Wyatt viewed the topic. Meanwhile, the way Mark saw it was "I would say that the Olsonawski name be an example of integrity rooted in faith and an example for people to follow by just always working hard and doing the right thing."
Every summer, the University of Minnesota Crookston and Mark Olsonawski host the Mark Olsonawski Golf Tournament in an effort to raise money for Golden Eagles athletics and the scholarship fund. It is a very important fundraiser, both to the University and to the Olsonawski's. For Mark, it's a way to show what the Olsonawski's care about, but also it is how he shows his appreciation for his alma mater; "But for me, the golf tournament itself is a way to, again, give our family name a very positive image, showing that we're people that can give back to our communities. For me it's a way to give back to the community I was raised in for the first eighteen years of my life and it's also a way to give back to the community of Minnesota Crookston which raised me through four years of college."
The Olsonawski family is a family that truly cares about the University of Minnesota Crookston and all it has to offer. To Wyatt, the Golden Eagles are like a second family to him; "I think it makes my time here at UMC honestly a lot easier and it makes it go by really fast because you know as a group we're really tight-knit." Wyatt is a junior this year and has been one of the Golden Eagles' top goaltenders for the last three years now, he has been a high impact member of the hockey team and has loved his time so far as a Golden Eagle, and he looks forward to his remaining time at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
The Olsonawski's are one of the most impactful families that have attended the University of Minnesota Crookston. They all make a point to be involved with the University, no matter how long ago they graduated, and they will always know that The University of Minnesota Crookston will be a second home.
