University of Maine graduate student guard Anna Kahelin doesn’t have any noteworthy statistics this season.
But the fact she has even been able to play has been an inspiration to the Black Bears, who will face Vermont in the America East championship game at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Memorial Gym in Orono.
Top seed UMaine is 23-9 while UVM is 22-10.
Kahelin suffered the first of three serious knee injuries with 22 seconds left of an America East quarterfinal win over Vermont during a solid freshman season which saw her average 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 24.9 minutes of playing time per game.
All three knee injuries required surgery and each knee has been operated on.
She still goes to rehab once a week for her left knee.
Entering this season, she had played in just a total of nine games in her last three seasons.
There was certainly no guarantee her knees would hold up this year but they have.
She has appeared in 24 of UMaine’s 32 games, averaging 12.3 minutes per game. She is averaging just under a point and a rebound per game.
Her primary role is as a defender and her fourth-quarter defense on Monday night was important in the Black Bears’ come-from-behind 64-58 win over Binghamton.
“All I wanted to do was have a healthy season and get to the championship. That was the goal for me and the team. It feels great,” said the 5-foot-11 native of Helsinki, Finland. “Things have been going good. I have been doing rehab all year and it has helped keep me strong. I have been lifting weights with the team and that has also helped a lot.”
She said she feels “more normal” than she did four months ago and doesn’t worry about reinjuring one of her knees.
“When I play, I don’t really think about it. It’s a lot better to play free,” said Kahelin who noted that you are more likely to get hurt if you are worrying about it.
“She might be the toughest human I’ve ever met,” said UMaine head coach Amy Vachon. “And she does everything with grace and humility.
“She’s such a team player. She doesn’t care if she plays one second or 40 minutes. She just wants what’s best for the team.
“It’s incredible what she’s been able to do,” Vachon added. “What she does is play defense and she was huge for us in the Binghamton game.”
UMaine junior forward Adrianna Smith said Kahelin is an “amazing player and an even better person.
“To see her perseverance, getting back to the game she loves and how every game means so much to her (has been inspirational). She has come up big for us in the playoffs with her defense and made (3-pointers). It means a lot to have her here with us on the court,” said Smith.
Graduate student guard Anne Simon said you don’t often find a player who has had that many injuries come back from them like Kahelin has and that “we’re all super proud of her.”
Kahelin has also been an important contributor in the locker room, according to senior guard-forward Caroline Bornemann.
“She is always keeping the mood up. She is so strong mentally and physically. She has been a great inspiration to all of us,” said Bornemann.
Kahelin and Simon will be looking for their first trips to the NCAA tourney after four years of frustration.
Their freshman seasons, UMaine and Stony Brook had their America East championship game wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic; the next year, the Black Bears lost to now-departed Stony Brook in the America East final at the Memorial Gym, 64-60; their third year, Albany came to Orono and emerged with a 56-47 victory and Albany ousted them in the semifinals a year ago 72-64, in Albany.
“(Simon) and I have been here a while and we’ve been close (to winning a title) a lot of times. It’s huge for our last year that we’ve been able to get here. Hopefully, we’ll do everything right and things will go well,” said Kahelin.
“The most important thing for us will be defense. We need to get stops and limit them to one shot,” said Simon. “Hopefully, we will hit shots in the beginning and get our confidence.”
“Vermont is a really good team,” said Bornemann. “They play hard, they have good shooters and they get into the paint. We will have to lock down on defense.”
Vachon said that her team has to understand that while it is a championship game, “it’s exciting and we should enjoy it.”
UMaine is 9-0 against America East opponents at the Memorial Gym this season and has won 12 of its last 14 games against Vermont including 60-48 and 57-55 victories this season.
America East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Simon and fellow America first team selection Smith have been the catalysts.
Simon is averaging a league-high 18.9 points per game and is second in rebounds (7.4) and steals (2.5) and fourth in assists (3.2). Smith leads in double-doubles with a league and school record 22, she is tops in rebounds (11) and assists (4.8) and second in scoring (16.6).
Bornemann has supplied UMaine with 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
UVM has been paced by All-America East first team guard Emma Utterback, whose 3.9 assists per game are third best in the league and her 14.5 ppg and 44.4 percent shooting percentage from the floor are sixth. Senior forward and second team pick Anna Olson has the league’s top shooting percentage (56.8) and she is ninth in rebounds (6) and 10th in scoring (11.5).
Sophomore guard and third-team pick Keira Hanson is averaging 7.8 ppg but had 33 in the two games vs. UMaine.