Siuslaw junior Carissa Oliver was once a three-sport athlete for the Vikings, but no longer.

Two knee surgeries will do that.

Now she's a three-event track-and-field specialist, one who will be counted on Friday to put up big numbers in the discus, shot put and javelin at the Central Coast Invitational at Hans Petersen Field.

"I love this meet, I look forward to it," Oliver said. "We can compete on our own track and show the people of Florence what our whole team has been working so hard and competing so hard for."

She should be favored to win the shot put and the discus, while grabbing important team points in the javelin.

"I'm not sure what I'm best at, but I like the discus the best," Oliver said. "It's something I can be fast at, blow off some steam."

She's also good at the event, currently ranked No. 2 in the state among 4A girls. Her personal best of 124 feet, 11 inches trails only the 127-5 of Molalla junior Rachel Bring.

Oliver also is ranked No. 6 in the shot put (36-8.25).

Impressive marks for someone who still wears a "really big" knee brace nine months removed from her second knee surgery in two years.

"The first time, I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)," she said. "The second time, I re-tore that, and then I tore my meniscus."

Both times it was on the basketball court, the first time at practice as a freshman with the Vikings, the second time while coaching little-kids basketball.

"It's held me back a bit, but it's more mental," Oliver said. "I just need to be really cautious, try to be really careful.

"Sometimes I think it prevents me from performing to my capabilities. I'm trying real hard to get past that now."

Weight training, physical therapy and some good coaching have her back on track. She recently competed in three meets over four days in an eight-day period, and set personal bests in both the discus and the shot put.

Assistant coaches Max Perry and Pat Towne and head coach Chris Johnson are her primary mentors.

"Coach Towne helps me mostly with discus and some shot put, and coach Perry does a lot of shot put and some discus, too," Oliver said.

"I get some tips, mentally, from coach Johnson, which I always appreciate. The coaches are all very experienced, and that helps."

An only child, Oliver took up track and field as a challenge from her father.

"I was always bored as a kid," she said. "My Dad one day said you should try (track). So I just did it, and I just fell in love with it."

Oliver is so into it that she says she checks Athletics.net "two or three times a day."

She says she's not obsessed.

"I'm just checking to see what's happening," Oliver said. "But I've learned, don't worry about the competition. Do your best, and that's all that matters."

And she's thrilled to be part of a team, after having to give up basketball and volleyball.

"I am just blessed to be in this generation of girls," Oliver said. "All my teammates are absolutely amazing. We communicate so well, and we encourage each other.

"We're all there to bring each other up when we're down, to congratulate each other, no matter what."