Some are gifted with the ability, the technique and the drive to play basketball.

However, few can match what forward Jayme Olson has accomplished in almost three full seasons at Iowa State.

Olson, a junior studying psychology from Bettendorf, can find her name in virtually every category throughout the Cyclone record books, whether it’s a career, season or single game mark.

For instance, heading into Wednesday’s game against No. 9 Texas, the junior had contributed 1,207 points over her career. Placing her third on the list.

Only former Cyclones Tonya Burns and Pat Hodgson are ahead of her. In fact, at her current clip of 18 points an outing, Olson should pass Hodgson sometime yet this season. Hodgson had 1,284 career points, just 77 more than Olson.

Burns scored 1,789 points throughout her career, a mark Olson can catch sometime next season.

Another record Olson can surpass is the career scoring average. Olson, with a career mark of 15.9 a contest, is currently second to Stephanie Smith, who averaged 16.7 a contest over her two year career as a Cyclone in the mid-1980s.

During Olson’s three year career, she has paced the Cyclones in scoring each season. Scoring 13.5 as a freshman, 16.6 as a sophomore and 18.0 this season while starting all but two games her collegiate career.

Olson recently set a career mark during the Feb. 15 contest against Kansas State.

Against the Wildcats, Olson passed Hodgson with her career mark of free throws made. Over Hodgson’s career she made 290, Olson currently has 293.

In fact, in addition to the records listed above, Olson can also find her name in 10 additional categories. She currently ranks eighth in field goals made, with 431; seventh in field goals attempted, with 831; ninth in field-goal percentage, with 51.9; fifth in three-point shots made, with 52; fourth in three-point shots attempted, with 142; third in three-point percentage, with 36.6 percent; second in free-throw attempts, with 392; third in free-throw percentage, with 74.7; sixth in total rebounds, with 556; and ninth in blocked shots, with 33.

Head Coach Bill Fennelly believes it’s Olson’s ability and commitment to become an outstanding player.

“It was obvious when I came here that I knew that Jayme was an outstanding player and was the kind of player that could help us lay the foundation for our program,” Fennelly said.

Before the 1996-97 season, Olson had only hit 6-of-40 from behind the arc. Currently, Olson has hit 46 of 102 attempts this season.

“I think only being 6’1″ and always being a post player I really had to adjust coming to college. Coach Fennelly asked me after the season [last year] to work on my outside game and that I would be moving out [to the perimeter] and my goal was to become a perimeter player,” Olson said.

Fennelly thinks the dedication to moving outside is a personal commitment to helping the program.

“That (her improved perimeter shooting) happens because she spent a lot of time this summer. Because we told her we were going to use here away from the basket some,” the coach said.

Olson was among the many players who had to endure the coaching change from former coach Theresa Becker to Fennelly. In fact, Olson, after looking back thinks the change has helped her.

“My freshman year was a rude awakening,” Olson said. “We only won eight games and I had never been in a program that had lost that much. I don’t think I had lost that many games in my whole high school career, so it was really hard.”

The ability to improve herself each season season is among the many goals the junior forward has.

“I think she wants to be an all-conference player. She wants to be put in that category of outstanding players in the Big 12,” Fennelly said.

Emotionally the junior can become one of the most animated players on the court for the Cyclones.

“Nellie [Janel Grimm] is a louder player than I am, but I am very intense out on the court,” Olson said. “I don’t smile a lot, I talk a lot to the officials, I speak my mind.”

Fennelly agrees that the two juniors feed off of each other emotionally not only on the court, but off the court as well.

“[Jayme] and Janel kind of feed off of each other. Jayme is very serious and analytical. I think that is kind of the major of psychology,” Fennelly said. “Janel is her best friend. They know each other through AAU basketball. They live together. I don’t think they would admit it, but they sort of decided together to come here.”

Fennelly believes Olson’s greatest improvement this season is her defensive prowess.

“I think the thing that she has improved a lot the second half of the season is her defense. She has really come on. There were times in the first half where I think she was being too passive. Where she wasn’t being an aggressive defensively as she was offensively. A lot of that was that she didn’t want to foul,” Fennelly said. Fennelly points to the Cyclone’s game against Baylor on Feb. 5 as an example of Jayme’s overall improved play.

“We took her out with eight minutes to go,” Fennelly said. “She had [a career-high] 33 points, Baylor had 32 as a team. And when the game ends Baylor has 43 points, and she [also] had six assists, so she accounted for more points than the [entire] Baylor team.”

Olson’s 33 points against Baylor was the third highest ever in Cyclone history.

Fennelly believes the rest of the team will follow Olson’s success.

Despite her success on the court, Olson said the thing of which she is most proud is her academic success. In her career, Olson was named an Honorable Mention Academic All-American after the 1995-96 season.

“It is probably the most important thing in my life, even over basketball,” Olson said.

“When I was choosing schools there were no women’s basketball leagues. That was never a goal in my career.”

Olson continued her dominance on Saturday night against No. 9-ranked Texas.

Olson scored 22 points to lead the Cyclones in their 74-56 upset over the Longhorns.