[1][2] He was not introduced to outdoor lacrosse until his junior year of high school.
[1] Carlson played college lacrosse at Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina, where he helped the Saints win the 2000 NCAA Division II tournament.
[3] As a sophomore in 2001, he earned Deep South Conference Player of the Year honors after setting program records for points in a season (83) and goals in a game (10).
[4] During his freshman year of college, Carlson was called up to the Canada men's junior national team ahead of the 1999 Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships held in Australia.
[2] He earned a silver medal as Canada lost to the United States in the final.