Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Denise (Holm) Olson assisted the University of Minnesota Duluth’s women’s basketball team to new levels during her career. A three year starter in the Bulldog backcourt, Holm captained Minnesota Duluth to the school’s first NAIA National Tournament berths the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons. The 1988-89 season also included the Bulldogs winning their first outright Northern Sun Conference Championship. She was honored as an All-Northern Sun Conference and All-NAIA District 13 first team honoree as both a junior and senior.
She concluded her tenure as the school’s career leader in assists (813), steals (236) and games played (118). In her senior season she topped the division II ranks with a school record 291 assists (9.1 apg) while also establishing a team single-game record for assist in a game with 13 on two different occasions. She was named by her teammates as the Bulldog’s Best Defensive Player in both her sophomore and junior seasons and was the co-winner of the UMD Outstanding Senior Female Athlete award following her final season. The Bulldogs posted an overall record of 83-37 during Holm’s four-year career.
Holm graduated from UMD with a B.S. in Elementary Education in 1989. From there she served as the head girls’ basketball coach at Duluth Central High School for five years and Duluth East High School, her alma mater, for another seven seasons. She was a two-time Region 8AAAA / Region 7AAA Coach of the Year while at Duluth East High. In 2004, Holm was inducted into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame.
Denise is currently a sale representative at Twin Ports Paper & Supply Company in Duluth. She is married to Jim Olson her husband of 20 years.Together they have 3 children - Troy 17, Trevor 16 and Jada who is 12. Denise enjoys coaching her daughter’s 6th grade basketball team and watching her boys play hockey for Duluth East.