Brandon University Athletics

Karen Palson (nee Pearson) provided grit for the Bobcats during an era when the Brandon University women's basketball program was consistently in the running for the GPAC crown.
 
Prior to joining BU, Palson was a standout high school athlete with the Minnedosa Chancellors.
 
The 6-foot-1 forward was named BU's rookie of the year in 1979-80 after finishing in the top 10 in rebounds in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
 
Palson became a scoring threat in her sophomore season and played a key role in the Bobcats' runner-up finish for the GPAC championship.
 
She represented Manitoba at junior nationals in the summer of '81 and the experience paid immediate dividends going into her third year with BU. She was chosen as an all-star at the Bobcats' Blue and Gold pre-season tournament and concluded the regular season as the team's most improved player.
 
Palson was named a league second-team all-star in her fourth season in 1982-83 and finished second in the conference in rebounds.
 
She followed that by being named a GPAC all-star again in 83-84 and was honoured as the team's Most Valuable Player. She left the women's basketball program as the all-time leader in career rebounds with 1,075.
 
She went from BU to England for one season of pro hoops and helped her team win a Division 2 championship.
 
Palson came home and had a one-year venture as a school teacher in Erickson before joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
 
She later completed police school in Brandon and at the time was only the third female to come through the program. She was the lone woman in her class and had the highest overall marks in physical training in 1989.
 
Palson had a short tour of duty with the Brandon Police Service before returning to the RCMP. She served in Killarney and Souris before retiring in 2017 after nearly 25 years in law enforcement.