Written by Grace McLaughlin, edits via Garrett Zatlin
Earlier today, Texas ace, former Illinois star and 2023 mile national champion, Olivia Howell, announced that she has signed a "Name, Image and Likeness" (NIL) deal with Adidas. She has joined Total Athletics for athlete representation.
The current Longhorn standout started her collegiate career at the University of Illinois before following her coach, Sarah Haveman, to the University of Texas as a graduate transfer this past summer. During her time with the Fighting Illini', the Ohio native emerged as a top-tier talent in the NCAA middle distance scene.
Howell currently holds outstanding personal bests 2:02.50 (800), 4:09 (1500) and 4:33 (mile). However, more importantly, her resume is highlighted by a national title victory in the mile at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships. There, she ran a mile time of 4:34 (unconverted) at altitude en route to a significant upset victory over Lauren Gregory.
The former Illini ace has also shown competitive prowess across a variety of events. While she does hold multiple All-American honors between the mile and the 1500 meters, she also won the 2022 Midwest Regional XC Championships and has made three separate appearances at the NCAA XC Championships in her career.
Howell now joins fellow NCAA standouts Katelyn Tuohy and Drew Bosley as collegiate distance stars who have signed NIL deals with Adidas. Signing an NIL deal with the three-stripes brand suggests (but by no means guarantees) that the Longhorn star may use her remaining eligibility rather than pursue a professional contract before the end of the current academic calendar.