May 2002

Tennis champ visits campus as old record falls

By the time he graduated from Whitman College in 1988, Dave Olafsson had won more men’s tennis matches than anyone in the history of the varsity program. By the time he returned to campus April 9, his record of 138 career victories was ready to fall.

Olafsson, who lives in Vancouver, B.C., stopped by the Bratton Tennis Center to meet Tim Mullin, the Whitman athlete poised to replace him in the record books. At that point, Mullin, a senior, also had 138 career victories. He soon extended his victory total to 142, however, with post-season tournaments still to go.

For Olafsson, the visit to campus also was a chance to reminisce with former teammate Jeff Northam, ’88, who coaches men’s tennis at Whitman. Northam and Olafsson were part of a formidable Missionary team that dominated the Northwest Conference during the mid-1980s and advanced as far as the semifinals of NCAA Division III national championships.

“We were a very unique blend of guys who did well and had a lot of fun,” Olafsson said. “I have great memories of that time.”

Olafsson was one of Canada’s top junior players as a youngster. At age 15, however, he gave up tennis to play basketball and came to Walla Walla after being recruited to play at the community college. “What I discovered after my first season was that I was too skinny to play basketball,” Olafsson said. “But I wanted to stay in Walla Walla. I liked it here and my girlfriend was here. So, I transferred to Whitman to play tennis. I was surprised by how quickly the game came back to me.”

Olafsson arrived at Whitman the same year as Denmark’s Chris Gregersen, who had come to the U.S. as a high school exchange student. “Chris was by far the best tennis player Whitman has ever had,” Olafsson said. “He very seldom lost. One of his few losses was in the finals of the Division III singles championship, when he
was sick.”

Olafsson, who majored in psychology, moved to Germany after graduation and worked as a tennis instructor for four years. He returned home and continued to teach tennis for two more years. “By then, my shoulder and knees were starting to give out,” he said. “It was time to find a new profession.”

Olafsson took an interest in property management and went back to school, earning a basic certificate. He has continued to work in commercial property management while completing a four-year diploma in urban land economy at the University of British Columbia.

Olafsson has stayed in touch with Northam and other former teammates, including Brian Nash, ’86, Brian Johnson, ’88, and Mark Donnelly, ’89. He says he would enjoy hearing from other friends.

— David Holden