BYU men’s volleyball head coach Shawn Olmstead reached his 200th career win on Saturday night, following a home victory over Fort Valley State at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
Olmstead is now the second coach in BYU men’s volleyball history to achieve this milestone, joining former coach Carl McGown, who holds the program record with 205 wins in 336 matches. Olmstead reached 200 wins in just 278 matches.
“I’ve been fortunate. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I think that every day,” Olmstead said after Saturday night’s match. “These young men and all the staff over the years have put a little bit of faith and trust not just in me but in the program, the school, the institution. It really has nothing to do with me. It’s all about those people. These guys right now, all the outstanding athletes I’ve had over the years, they’ve made my job kind of easy at times. I’m just unbelievably blessed and grateful I get to come here every day and be a part of their lives. Hopefully I can influence them a little bit and win some volleyball matches in the meantime.”
Since becoming head coach for BYU men’s volleyball in 2016, Olmstead has led his teams to three NCAA Tournament national championship matches (2016, 2017, and 2021). He also guided BYU to three consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances from 2016-2018—a first for the program.
Under his leadership, BYU won three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) regular-season titles from 2016-2018 and claimed MPSF Tournament championships in 2016, 2018, and 2021. Olmstead is a four-time MPSF Coach of the Year (2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021), and nine of his athletes have received All-American honors with a combined total of nineteen AVCA All-America awards.
By the end of the shortened 2020 season—cut short by COVID-19—Olmstead’s winning percentage stood at .784 (105-29), which was then highest among active Division I-II men’s volleyball coaches nationally.
Olmstead coached BYU to six straight winning seasons between 2016 and 2021. The Cougars recorded their first losing season since 1996 during the challenging campaign of 2022. Reflecting on that year, Olmstead stated: “I was proud of our team and the way they stayed the course throughout the entire season. It was a difficult season no doubt as it relates to overall wins and losses. Despite this, the team never hung their heads and never shied away from the task at hand. I’m proud of them for that. The amount of gratitude we have as a coaching staff for them and their heart, can’t be put into words.”
Throughout his career at BYU men’s volleyball, Olmstead has coached several AVCA First Team All-Americans including Gabi Garcia Fernandez (2020–21), Davide Gardini (2020–22), Wil Stanley (2020), Brenden Sander (2016 & 2018), Ben Patch (2016), and Jake Langlois (2017).
Before leading BYU men’s volleyball, Olmstead worked as an assistant coach for women’s programs at Utah State University and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as well as volunteering at Utah Valley University.
From 2011-2014 he served as head coach for BYU women’s volleyball where he led teams to notable successes including reaching an NCAA tournament championship match for the first time in program history in 2014. That same year he was named AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year.
During his tenure with both men’s and women’s teams at BYU—and prior assistant roles—Olmstead has helped numerous players achieve conference honors while guiding teams through multiple successful seasons.
