Austin's Olivia Walsh 'going home' in choosing UM Crookston for college basketball

Pat Ruff, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 30—AUSTIN — It's going to feel like a homecoming for Olivia Walsh, though she'll be 390 miles from her Austin home next school year.

Walsh has chosen NCAA Division II University of Minnesota Crookston for her college, having recently committed to the Golden Eagles and their women's basketball program.

At Crookston, Walsh will join former Austin High School basketball teammates and twin sisters Hope and Emma Dudycha. Both were freshmen this past season at Crookston, though Hope was inactive with a knee injury.

Walsh hasn't played with the Dudycha twins since the 2021-22 season when they reached the state tournament together. But her attachment to them hasn't changed.

They remain her best friends, and Walsh can't wait to be an everyday part of their lives again.

"Hope and Emma being there were big factors for me," said Walsh, one of the top all-around female athletes in the state. "I also liked the small community of Minnesota Crookston (2,630 students), the coaching staff and some of the amenities they have. Crookston is a small college town and I'm looking forward to being in it. But I'm really looking forward to being with Hope and Emma. They are my best friends."

Walsh could have played any of three sports in college. Besides the high-leaping, strong and fast senior being an honorable-mention Class AAA All-State basketball player this past season, she's also a standout in swimming and track and field. She finished seventh in the 50 freestyle and ninth in the 100 freestyle in the state swimming-and-diving meet in the fall. In track and field, she ranks first in Section 1AA in the triple jump, third in the high jump and fifth in the 100.

All of that athletic versatility is also what's made her special in basketball. This season, she did some of everything for the Packers, averaging 14.6 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game as Austin finished 20-9 and nearly returned to the Class AAA state tournament, falling to Stewartville in the Section 1AAA championship game.

Once she begins to concentrate on just one sport, instead of three, Austin coach Eric Zoske sees her taking off.

"She is going to be really good," Zoske said. "She is a fantastic high school athlete. Once she gets in the weight room and devotes to basketball, the sky's the limit for her because of that athletic ability. She's also a smart kid and wants to eventually go to law school or get into business."

Minnesota Crookston finished 9-13 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this past season, a league that also includes Winona State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Golden Eagles were 10-19 overall.

Emma Dudycha averaged 9 minutes and 1 point and .4 assists per game for Minnesota Crookston this past season.