Athlete 2002 - 2005
It’s difficult to choose the most impressive aspect of Lindsay Harksen’s standout volleyball career at Linfield: two All-America seasons, numerous appearances in the program record books, or recognition as the Academic All-American of the Year?
Clearly, the Hall of Fame selection committee had much to choose from in determining Harksen’s worthy induction into the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame.
A 5-foot-11, lefty outside hitter with “a whip for an arm,” according to head coach Shane Kimura, Harksen was a versatile player who impacted the floor in a multitude of ways. By the time she wrapped up her career in the fall of 2005, she had garnered three first team all-Northwest Conference awards, twice helped the Wildcats reach the NCAA playoffs, set the program record for career blocks and rose to No. 2 in all-time kills and No. 3 in service aces.
The Sublimity, Ore., native made an immediate splash as a freshman. In addition to leading the team with 3.16 kills per game, she registered 19 service aces and averaged nearly one block per set. During one two-match stretch, she tallied 37 kills off a .408 attacking percentage while adding seven block assists and six assists on the way to earning NWC Player of the Week acclaim.
Harksen remained Linfield’s top point producer as a sophomore, a year in which the Wildcats captured the NWC crown with a 14-2 league record and qualified for the second NCAA tournament berth in program history. Playing a first-round match in La Verne, Calif., Linfield lost a five-set battle to Cal State Hayward; Harksen totaled 11 kills.
That year, Harksen earned the first of three consecutive first team all-NWC accolades after registering the league’s second highest attacking percentage and finishing among the top 10 in the conference in kills per game. She also garnered national recognition with her selection to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America second team.
Capping off her senior season with a repeat selection to the AVCA All-America second team and third straight all-league award, Harksen tallied a career-best 368 kills – sixth most in single-season program history – and led the Wildcats back to the NCAA playoffs. After downing Cal Lutheran in straight sets, Linfield’s season – and Harksen’s career – came to a close at the hands of host Whitworth in the West Region semifinals.
With Harksen in the rotation, the Wildcats compiled a 66-34 record over four years, including a 40-24 win-loss mark against Northwest Conference opponents. She is the program’s all-time leader in matches played, and ranks among the top 10 performers in 13 additional career categories.
Kimura cited Harksen’s competitiveness, mental toughness and understanding of the game as key contributors to her success. And as a double major in finance and mathematics, her intelligence and commitment in the classroom easily translated to the court.
A model Division III student-athlete, Harksen maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average throughout her academic career, graduated with summa cum laude honors and remains the only Linfield student-athlete to be named Academic All-American of the Year.
Harksen now lives in Portland, where she is a marketing finance manager at adidas.
