Olson, Swords Named Preseason All-Big Ten
10/1/2026 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Olivia Olson and Syla Swords of the University of Michigan women's basketball team were each named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team by the coaches and media, as announced by the conference on Thursday (Oct. 1). Michigan is one of two teams with two representatives on the 10-member team. It marks the second straight season that Olson and Swords have earned preseason recognition.
Olson was the only player unanimously selected by both the coaches and media. Just the second player and first underclassman in program history to earn All-America honors, Olson averaged 18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 31.2 minutes per game as a sophomore. She scored in double figures in all 35 games, reaching the 20-point mark 17 times. Olson earned WBCA All-Region honors and a spot on the Fort Worth 3 All-Region Team after being named to the All-Big Ten first team for the first time in her career. She also reached the 1,000-point mark last season, becoming the third-fastest Wolverine to reach the milestone.
Swords started 34 games during her sophomore season, averaging 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. She scored in double figures 26 times with five 20-point games and surpassed the 1,000-point mark during the NCAA Tournament. The Canadian was named to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media while also joining Olson on the Fort Worth 3 All-Region Team. She was named MVP of the 2026 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, helping Canada clinch the only available spot in the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2028 after averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals over Canada's five games at the event.
Michigan returns its top five scorers from last season's Elite Eight team in Olson (18.9 ppg), Swords (14.6 ppg), Mila Holloway (12.3 ppg), Te'Yala Delfosse (8.7 ppg) and Ashley Sofilkanich (7.7 ppg). J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Women's Basketball Coach Kim Barnes Arico enters her 15th season in Ann Arbor after leading Michigan to 28 wins last season and surpassing 300 wins at the helm of the Wolverines.
The Wolverines will host UConn in a marquee non-conference game at Crisler Center on Nov. 5. Upper bowl tickets for the Nov. 5 game are available for purchase starting at $26 each, with a limit of eight per customer. Fans interested in tickets can join the women's basketball ticket interest list.
