Weekly report: Knee injury pushed Carlson toward new outlook

The worst moment of Casey Carlson's high-school football career was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Five years ago, Carlson felt a couple of pops in his right knee as he carried the ball in his first game back from a broken hand that sidelined him at the start of his senior season at Woodinville. Two torn knee ligaments ended his season after two quarters.

But it also pushed him toward Pacific Lutheran and a man named Frosty Westering.

"It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened," Carlson said. "I was thinking about anywhere that was Division I. I totally looked past PLU."

Instead, Carlson was a classic overlooked and undersized recruit for the NCAA Division III school in Tacoma. His knee injury and 5-foot-10, 205-pound frame hid uncanny defensive instincts and 4.5-second speed in the 40.

He has gone on to win an armload of honors as an outside linebacker, including Northwest Conference co-defensive player of the year, twice first-team all-conference and NCAA Division III West Region defensive player of the year for Don Hansen's Football Gazette. Carlson led PLU with 69 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13-1/2 sacks, three fumble recoveries and six forced fumbles in 2003.

But he insists his biggest honor was playing for Westering, the Lutes' 75-year-old coaching legend known for his ultra-positive approach.

"He has changed my life," said Carlson, 24. "Not even in football, but in the lessons and tools I can take with me."

Carlson's mother, Janis, said Westering's influence goes even further.

"He has touched our whole family's life," she said.

Said Westering of Carlson, a PLU co-captain: "He doesn't match the height or weight game that people want to play. He's the kind of guy who plays football for different reasons than to play pro football."

Carlson graduates tomorrow from PLU with a business-administration degree and still dreams of getting a free-agent chance with the Canadian Football League.

If not, he figures his time at PLU was like summers working on a fishing boat in Alaska for his dad, Ernie — a learning experience worth all the hard work.

Seattle University sports

Men's basketball: All 14 players are averaging double figures in minutes, and the Redhawks (3-3, 0-1 GNAC) have seven players averaging at least six points, with sophomore forward Jeffrey McDaniel (Stockton, Calif.) leading the way at 12.8.

Women's basketball: The Redhawks (4-2) are holding opponents to 65.8 points per game on just 39.4 percent shooting. Seattle is second in the GNAC in blocked shots (21) and steals (65).

Seattle Pacific

Men's basketball: After both being slowed by ankle injuries last month, junior guard Jordan Lee (Life Christian) and junior center Jason Chivers (Los Angeles) have come on strong. Lee has averaged 23.0 points and hit 52 percent of his three-pointers in the last four outings, and Chivers had 28 points and 25 rebounds as SPU (3-3, 1-1) split two GNAC games in Alaska.

Women's basketball: Aside from GNAC scoring leader senior Valerie Gustafson (Black Hills), who is averaging 20.7, the Falcons (6-0, 1-0) feature eight players averaging between 6.0 and 10.5 points. Sophomore forward Carli Smith (Valley Christian) leads the team in rebounding (8.8) off the bench.

Washington

Men's soccer: Junior midfielder C.J. Klaas (Cherry Valley, Ill.) was named first-team All-Far West by the National Soccer Coaches Association. It's the second time Klaas made the team.

Washington State

Women's basketball: With a 4-2 record, the Cougars have matched their combined win total over the past two seasons. The last time WSU was two games above .500 was Jan. 6, 2001, when the Cougars were 7-5.

Baseball: Two products of Puyallup, Collin Henderson and Garrett Alwert, are among four seniors named captains. The others were Brandon Reddinger (Kennewick) and Aaron Mackenzie (Perth, Australia).

Western Washington

Men's basketball: Freshman center Grant Assink (Lynden) is averaging 11.8 points coming off the bench, while playing just 16.8 minutes a contest. He leads the GNAC in field-goal percentage (77.1) and is second in free-throw accuracy (93.8) for Western (5-1, 1-1).

Women's basketball: Junior guard Kelly Colard (Elma) scored 35 points on 13-of-21 field-goal shooting to go with 15 assists, 13 rebounds and four steals in the Vikings' two GNAC victories last week over Northwest Nazarene and St. Martin's.

Other colleges

Eastern Washington: Two brothers played each other for the first time in college Dec. 2 — EWU's junior forward Marc Axton and Northwest College freshman guard Morgan Axton.

Gonzaga: Freshmen Rachel Kane (Kaneohe, Hawaii), Stephanie Hawk (Ontario, Ore.) and Katy Ridenour (Post Falls, Idaho) are playing key roles for the Bulldogs. Kane, a 5-7 guard, is the only freshman starter.

Northwest: Freshman Aaron Sawyer (Shelton) tied the Eagles' (4-6) school record for blocked shots with six Dec. 2 in a loss at Eastern Washington.

Puget Sound: The men's basketball team tied a program record with 18 three-point field goals made in a 126-96 win at Emory last Saturday. The Loggers' 126 points were the fourth most in school history.

St. Martin's: Senior guard Brandon Hartley (Phoenix) leads the GNAC in scoring average at 22.9 points despite the Saints (3-4, 0-2) playing six of their first seven games on the road.

Whitman: Freshman Danielle Shea (Franklin) won the 100 butterfly and anchored Whitman's victory in the 800 freestyle relay at last weekend's Northwest Invitational in McMinnville, Ore. Junior Alexis Jinbo-Doran (Honolulu), also part of the winning relay team, won the 200 breaststroke, breaking her own school record.

Community colleges: Priscilla Bernaola (Arlington), a sophomore libero, had 1,215 career digs in two seasons at Everett Community College, breaking the school record by 475. She ranked No. 1 among 28 NWAACC schools and was Northern Region first-team all-star.

Elsewhere: Brett Waller (Oak Harbor), a 6-7, 280-pound offensive tackle at the Air Force Academy, was named to the All-Mountain West football's second team. ... Senior Meghan Hartman (Garfield) was named female swimmer of the meet at the UCAA Conference swimming Championships on Saturday. The junior, competing for Rensselaer Polytechnic, won four individual races in NCAA Division III provisional qualifying times. Three of her wins set UCAA meet records. ... Chris Raftery (Sammamish of Bellevue), a senior free safety on Harvard's football team, was named first-team All-Ivy League, first-team All-New England and Verizon District I All-Academic. The government major has a 3.35 grade-point average.

Compiled from submissions by college sports information directors.