As both a student-athlete and coach, Olson has played a role in five of the seven Stanford collegiate national championships, as a student-athlete in 1998 and as a coach for four straight seasons from 2005-08. In 2008, under the guidance of Olson, Stanford became the first collegiate team to capture a U.S. National title. 

Olson graduated from Stanford in 1999 and took over the head coaching role in 2001, coaching the team from 2001-2012.

A former synchronized swimmer for the Cardinal, Olson graduated from Stanford in 1999 with a B.A. in English.

In 2008, Olson led Stanford to its fourth consecutive Collegiate National Championship after winning gold medals in Solo, Duet, Trio and finishing with the silver in team. Olson was also honored as Collegiate Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season. The 2008 campaign marked a breakthrough in synchronized swimming as Olson led the Cardinal to the U.S. National Championships, making Stanford the first collegiate team to accomplish that feat, an achievement usually reserved for club teams.

Overall, Olson led the Cardinal team to four first-place finishes and five second place finishes at  the Collegiate Nationals in just 11 seasons at Stanford. She also led the team to two first-place finishes, four second-place finishes and a fourth-place finish at U.S. Nationals.

During her collegiate athletic career, Olson captained the Stanford squad in 1998 and led the Cardinal to its first-ever NCAA Championship. She was a four-time U.S. Synchronized Swimming All-American (1994, 1995, 1996, 2000) and Collegiate All-American (1997, 1998). She also received the Stanford "Block S" Outstanding Athlete Award her junior year (1998).

Outside of her Stanford career, Olson was a five-year member of the First National Team, and a two-time U.S. Olympic Team member (1996, 2000), winning a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games. She was honored as the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Athlete of the Year in both 1996 and 2000 and as Olympic Team Captain in 2000.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, Olson served as a broadcaster for synchronized swimming for NBC. She was also a four-year AAC Athlete Representative for the USOC. In 2005, she won the Ninetta Davis Athlete Representative Award for service as an Athlete's Representative.