Paulsen, Johnson to stay close to home
North trio taking aim at the big time
NCAA Division I signings set for tonight
By Loren Nelson
Leader-Telegram staff
Keeping track of who plays what when and with whom can be a bit confusing at
Eau Claire North High School.
In the spring, Rachel Evjen and Chandra Johnson compete in track and field,
and Sis Paulsen plays softball.
In the winter, Johnson and Evjen play basketball, and Paulsen plays hockey.
In the fall, Johnson and Paulsen play volleyball, and Evjen runs cross
country.
Get all that?
Good.
There's just one more W to remember.
Where the Huskies' trio will be toting their considerable talents.
Today at 7 p.m. in the North library, Paulsen and Johnson will sign letters of
intent to attend NCAA Division I schools. Paulsen has committed to the
University of Wisconsin, where next season she will play on the Badgers'
first-ever women's hockey team. Johnson is headed to UW-Green Bay, where she
picked basketball over volleyball.
Evjen also has received several Division I scholarship offers but hasn't
decided where she will continue her running career next year.
"This senior class probably has the best group of athletes North has ever
seen," Huskies volleyball coach Perris Cooley said. "It's a phenomenal group."
With the 5-foot-4 Paulsen providing the sets and the 6-3 Johnson, a.k.a. "The
Hammer," taking care of the rest, the Huskies came within one match of
reaching the WIAA Division 1 state volleyball tournament earlier this month.
Meanwhile, at the WIAA state cross country meet, Evjen finished second in the
Division 1 field for the third consecutive year. Only one runner, two-time
state champion Liz Reusser of Middleton, has covered the 4,000-meter course at
The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids faster than Evjen.
"What I would say about all these kids is they have a great work ethic,"
Cooley said. "They're not content to be simply mediocre."
Johnson had lined up visits to UW-Milwaukee and the University of
Alabama-Birmingham but canceled them after touring UW-Green Bay.
"Green Bay was the first college I went to," said Johnson, who led the
Huskies' girls basketball team in blocked shots as a part-time starter last
season. "I knew right away it was the one.
"I really liked the campus; it was small enough but not too small. I really
liked the head coach (Kevin Borseth), and the team was real easy to get along
with. They reminded me of my teammates at North."
Paulsen, who has been a member North's varsity boys hockey team for the past
two years, didn't know women's college hockey existed until a few years ago.
"I guess I didn't really think about getting (a hockey) scholarship," said
Paulsen, a stay-at-home defenseman who caught the attention of several college
coaches in August at an elite developmental camp in Lake Placid, N.Y.
"I would say I would say I got about between seven and 10 calls," said
Paulsen, who, like Johnson, toured just one school before making he decision.
"I was going to go visit Minnesota and Northeastern," Paulsen said. "I figured
I didn't need to after I saw Wisconsin.
"All the people there were very informative, very friendly. The coaches all
went out of their way to talk to me and my family. They stress education first
and athletics second.
"I guess being in my home state was kind of icing on the cake."
Evjen, like Paulsen, is known for her toughness and tenacity.
"She's 5-4, and a lot of times I've got her guarding 5-8 kids," North girls
basketball coach Chico LaBarbera said. "She never lets up. If the girl goes to
the water fountain, Rachel's going to guard her there."
LaBarbera and Cooley believe Johnson has yet to reach her athletic peak.
"Of any kid at North, she probably has the most physical ability," Cooley
said. "She's got long arms and long legs, and she's still developing her
coordination. I don't think she's anywhere near the athlete will be in
college."
Said LaBarbera: "Chandra's a kid who can really help dominate a game. I don't
know if she even realizes her full potential."
1998-99
GIRL'S BASKETBALL RECAPS
