WATERVILLE — With a number of big projects either underway or coming soon for the Colby College athletic department, the school announced the hiring of a new athletic director on Friday. Jacob Olkkola, an administrator and former coach who has held leadership roles at the University of Delaware and Harvard University, has been named the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics at Colby.

“I am humbled and honored to assume the responsibility of leading Colby athletics into a new era,” Olkkola said in a release. “This is a dynamic time with many great opportunities on the horizon for Colby and for the city of Waterville. My family and I are beyond thrilled to become part of the Colby community.”

Olkkola assumes his role at Colby in early July. He will be joined in Waterville by his wife, Michelle, and their three children.

“I’m a fairly local guy, having grown up in New Hampshire, and I’ve admired Colby from afar for a long time, knowing Colby to be a great place, with high academic standards, but also having a commitment to a comprehensive excellence in athletics and to promoting a healthy and active community. That is something I’ve been committed to in my career as well,” Olkkola said in an email. “My wife and I have kept a short list of institutions that, should the opportunity arise, there would be a fair amount of interest for us. And Colby has always been on top of that list. Also, the investment that Colby is making in downtown Waterville is tremendously exciting. When the community benefits, so does the college.”

Olkkola replaces Tim Wheaton, who resigned in April after two years at Colby, citing family needs as his reason. Wheaton took a position with his family’s educational consulting firm in Massachusetts.

“We see in Jake a leader who will advance our progress toward a highly competitive athletic program and contribute to our efforts to build on an institutional culture that promotes the well-being of the entire Colby community,” Colby President David Greene said in a release. “We look forward to welcoming him to campus.”

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A native of Ossipee, New Hampshire, and graduate of Southern New Hampshire University, Olkkola comes to Colby from the University of Delaware, where he is senior associate director of athletics. At Delaware, he also served as chief financial officer for the athletic department. Olkkola also worked at Harvard, where he was director of recreational services.

“Not to be corny, but (Colby) is a dream job, and the opportunity to be able to do it at an institution that is making incredible forward progress, as Colby is doing, is amazing,” Olkkola said.

Olkkola comes to Colby just as the school is in the midst of making improvements to its athletic facilities. In 2016, Colby opened new baseball and softball fields. Later this year, Colby will open three new relocated fields: A practice field, a competition soccer field, and the Bill Alfond Field, which will continue to host field hockey and lacrosse. Earlier this year, Colby announced plans for a new, 350,000-square-foot athletic complex the school expects to be among the top facilities in the NCAA Division III. The new building is expected to open in 2020, and will include an indoor track, Maine’s first Olympic-sized pool, squash center, gymnasium, hockey arena, fitness center, training rooms, and coaching suites.

“It’s so exciting to see the momentum and the growth of Colby’s athletics program, and the investment the college is making in the facilities, which will actually benefit the whole community — Waterville and the state of Maine. And, this progress positions Colby for even greater success going forward, with the ability to recruit some of the best scholar athletes and with one of the best facilities in Division III. It’s a very exciting time to be here,” Olkkola said.


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