NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs announced Thursday the promotion of one current staff members and the addition of two new hires to the athletics leadership team.
Sarah Wright has been elevated to Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Nutrition, while Dr. Wyatt Olson and Nick Rush have been added to Assistant Athletic Director roles for NIL and Social Media Strategy & Content, respectively.
"We are incredibly excited to announce this well-deserved promotion for Sarah and welcome Wyatt and Nick to our Redbird Athletics team," Beggs said. "Sarah has demonstrated exceptional knowledge, dedication, and leadership in her time here and we look forward to her continued support of our student-athletes and their well-being. Her elevation, along with the additions of Wyatt and Nick in vital roles for our department, puts Redbird Athletics on a path for continued excellence in the Missouri Valley Conference and beyond."
Sarah Wright – Assistant AD/Sports Nutrition
Wright joined the Illinois State staff in July 2023 as Director of Sports Nutrition. In that role, she oversees the nutrition program for all 18 Illinois State sports, and provides and coordinates performance nutrition fueling, as well as nutrition education and counseling services to all Illinois State University student-athletes.
Prior to coming to Illinois State, Wright worked at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, where she served as an inpatient Clinical Dietitian. Prior to her work in Jacksonville, she worked for McDonough District Hospital in Macomb, Illinois, where she practiced in the inpatient, outpatient, and community spaces. Wright was able to adapt her nutrition education in the individual setting, along with numerous populations of the community. During that time, she also spent six years as a high school and club girl's soccer coach in Macomb and around Springfield.
Wright earned her Master's of Science in Nutrition from Eastern Illinois, where she also worked as the Graduate Assistant Coach for the EIU women's soccer team in 2015-2016. She earned her Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Western Illinois, while also playing for the WIU women's soccer team, serving as captain her senior year. Wright is a Registered Dietitian, a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Nutrition Education Specialist, and Informed RED-S Provider.
Dr. Wyatt Olson – Assistant AD/NIL & General Manager
Olson comes to Illinois State via Louisiana Tech, where he was originally hired as the Assistant Athletic Director for Internal Operations in September of 2022, and most recently held the role of Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations since April of 2024. In that role, Olson led the facilities and events management groups and served as the liaison for physical plant, concessions, and event staffing. He also assisted in capital projects under Competitive Excellence within the athletic department.
Previously, Olson was at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, where he served as the Assistant AD for Athletic Compliance. While serving as the compliance administrator, Olson also worked closely on strategic planning and leadership efforts, was the game administrator for all 12 sport programs, and led all game operations of home sporting events. Olson also served as the Advisor of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Before Sul Ross State, Olson worked at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, in August 2019 as a graduate assistant for marketing and game administration.Â
Olson was a student-athlete during his undergrad years, playing baseball at both Indian Hills Community College in Iowa and Niagara University in New York. The Janesville, Wisconsin, native has an associate's degree in sport management from Indian Hills Community College, a bachelor's degree in business management from Niagara University, and a master's degree in sport and wellness leadership from Howard Payne University. Olson recently completed his doctoral degree in leadership (Ed.D.) at Hardin-Simmons University in 2026.
Nick Rush – Assistant AD/Social Media Strategy & Content
Rush joins the Illinois State staff with familiarity in the Missouri Valley Conference, as he has served as Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Indiana State since 2023. In that role, she served as the primary media contact for the Sycamore volleyball, men's basketball, and women's golf programs and coordinated all social media efforts for those programs.
He pioneered the social efforts for the 2023-24 men's basketball program that finished 32-7, won the regular season title, and ended the season as the NIT Runner-Up. From November (when he started at Indiana State) through April, reach on Facebook totaled 2,011,000; Instagram totaled 115,000 in reach and more than doubled the follower count; and Twitter garnered 11,029,000 in impressions with a 3.79 percent engagement rate. In his first full season as the primary contact of women's golf (2024-25), Instagram saw a +208.9 percent in engagement, 44,000 in reach (+514.4%), and +99.1 percent in net audience. In the first season of covering volleyball (fall 2025), the Instagram account garnered 1.4 million views (+1.6K%), 182.5K reach (+615.6%), and an increase of +38.6 percent new followers.
Prior to joining Indiana State, Rush worked in digital marketing at RJL Solutions developing and leading digital marketing strategies and e-communications. He used his background in marketing, photography, videography, and design to oversee 20+ clients and 60+ social media accounts to ensure messaging remained on-brand. Before RJL, Rush spent two years at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as the sports information graduate assistant while pursuing his master's degree at Indiana State. Rush graduated from Manchester University in 2020 with two degrees, one in sport management and the other in marketing, and was a four-year baseball player.
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