The NWU’s first-ever female athletics manager, Tracey Olivier, is a history-maker.
Olivier, who has been at the helm as NWU Athletics Manager since 2026, is furthering the university’s proud athletics legacy as the proverbial mother of the house – a caring leader with an unrelenting passion for the sport.
Athletes see her as someone they can talk to about everything from athletics to their studies, but they also know she expects excellence.
Excellence is what NWU Athletics has consistently delivered, producing numerous USSA titles, Varsity Athletics victories and Olympic medallists such as Caster Semenya and Jo-Ané du Plessis.
“It’s amazing to be part of NWU Athletics. The culture and environment are incredible. NWU Athletics is a family. The coaches and athletes all look after one another. It’s an environment of encouragement where we build each other up to get the best out of one another. You can always improve, and that’s what makes athletics such a beautiful sport,” said Olivier.
This team-first mentality was evident at the USSA Athletics Championships, where NWU field athletes even contributed on the track to earn valuable points for the university.
“Everyone understands that they are contributing to the team. We saw it at USSAs, where some athletes even competed outside their normal disciplines to earn points for our relay teams. Everyone is willing to participate and give their all. There is a real culture of growth here.”
One of the advantages of the NWU is that it attracts international athletes, giving young student-athletes the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best competitors and train alongside renowned Olympians.
“You can see how those international athletes train, and you can measure your own training against theirs, which is an added bonus. We are perfectly positioned as a high-performance institution. It’s really attractive for athletes to come to the NWU and experience Potchefstroom.”
Olivier’s journey into athletics management began as a teacher, a profession she pursued for 31 years before applying for the NWU Athletics Manager position. She taught at Hoërskool Noordheuwel in Krugersdorp and Phoenix High School in Vereeniging. During that period, she also lived in New Zealand from 2003 to 2010. It was there that her son, the well-known NWU and New Zealand triple jumper Ethan Olivier, was born.
“During the time I was teaching, I was always involved in Gauteng Athletics as a coach. I was selected to serve on the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Track and Field Commission and travelled to various competitions with our national teams,” said Olivier.
The well-travelled Olivier also recently served as Team South Africa’s athletics manager at the Commonwealth Games.
When the opportunity to become NWU Athletics Manager arose, she grabbed it with both hands and has not looked back since.
Just as an athlete strives to shave seconds off a personal best or reach greater heights and distances, Olivier believes NWU Athletics should continuously strive for improvement.
“I would like to see our facilities improve. Having access to a tartan track that is closer to the university would be fantastic. It would also be beneficial to have a system where student-athletes receive nutritional and medical support as part of their journey. That would further enhance the professionalism of the programme,” she said.
“Another goal would be to see at least 30% of our national athletics team made up of NWU athletes.”
