Lissa Olson enters her second year at Cal aiding in the development of the Bears’ jumpers and multi-eventers under assistant coach Dan Lefever in 2025-26. She also acted as a volunteer assistant for the Bears in 2014.
In the 2025 season, the men’s outdoor pole vault (13th) and men’s outdoor high jump (20th) groups finished the year with national top-25 rankings, while pole vaulter Tyler Burns was ranked seventh indoors and heptathlete Seth Johnson 13th; both athletes also earned Second-Team All-America honors in the indoor season. Burns broke Cal’s indoor school record and finished third at the ACC Indoor Championships, then tied for second at the ACC Outdoor Championships. In total, Cal’s vertical jumpers and multi-eventers set seven indoor (six men’s, one women’s) and two outdoor (one men’s, one women’s) program top-10 marks and collected six total All-ACC honors.
Olson led the jumps and women’s sprints and relays squads as associate head coach at South Florida (2008-13), overseeing 10 individual Big East titles and five school records. Under her tutelage, a pair of Olson’s athletes won Big East Indoor Outstanding Field Performer and Outdoor Outstanding Track performer awards. During that time, she was also the jumps coach for the 2012 USA U23 team.
Olson was an assistant coach for the sprints, hurdles and jumps at Purdue from 1999-2001, after which she was promoted to head coach (a position which she held through the 2004 season). In 2004, she also coached Carri Long (high jump) and Francesca Green (long jump) at the U.S. Olympic Trials, one year after leading the USA Pan American Junior team and two years after leading the USA U23 team. Long, as well as fellow high jumper Shaun Guice, also competed at the 2001 World University Games. During Olson’s time with the Boilermakers, she produced 14 All-Americans, two team Big Ten titles, 10 individual Big Ten champions, a Big Ten conference record and six program records.
Olson was the associate head coach at Washington State from 1994-99, where she led the jumps unit and produced All-Americans and Pac-10 champions in the long and triple jumps.
