ORONO, Maine — There were only 22 seconds left in UMaine’s 78-66 America East quarterfinal win over Vermont when UMaine freshman guard Anna Kahelin sustained a season-ending right knee injury while protecting the baseline against a driving Delaney Richason.
That was on March 4, 2020, and it brought to a close a productive freshman season in which she served as UMaine’s sixth man and averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing impressive defense in 24.9 minutes of playing time per game.
She wound up having knee surgery, the first of three, with the last one being on her left knee Dec. 9, 2022.
She has appeared in just nine games since that injury her freshman year.
Her latest knee injury came just 1:11 into the season-opener at James Madison of Virginia Nov. 7, 2022.
But Kahelin is back for a fifth season and is working her way into the lineup while continuing to rehabilitate her left knee. She is practicing with the team but has yet to have live contact in a full-court scenario.
“I’ve been able to have more contact the past few weeks. It has been good. I feel like I’m moving a lot better than I was a month ago,” said Kahelin, a 5-foot-11 guard from Helsinki, Finland.
She admits that it has been a challenging ordeal for her, but she was determined to return.
“I have really had a great support system here. My coaches and teammates have helped me so much,” Kahelin said. “Even though my time here hasn’t been easy, I’ve still had a great time. So I didn’t want to leave yet.”
“She’s special,” said UMaine head coach Amy Vachon. “She has had every hit come her way, and she has taken each one with grace. She has just put her head down and been determined to come back and play in front of our fans here.”
“I am so proud of her,” added fellow guard and graduate student Anne Simon. “I am thrilled to see her out on the court. I’m happy for her.”
Kahelin said since she has been through knee rehabilitation before, she knows what it’s going to be like.
“It has been pretty similar to the other ones,” she said. “I just work hard every day. It’s feeling pretty good.”
She isn’t going to be tentative for fear of reinjuring a knee, she said.
“Going into situations where you are trying to be careful isn’t good. I have to be confident. I know I’ve done the work,” she said.
She hasn’t earmarked a date for her return to game action but is hoping it is sometime in November. UMaine opens at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut on Nov. 6.
“I’m not sure yet. We’ll see. It just might not be the first game,” she said.
A healthy Kahelin would be a valuable addition to a team that returns its entire roster from last season except reserve forward Abbe Laurence and has added three freshmen in forward Caroline Dotsey, guard Aislinn Gibson and guard Emmie Streams from Bangor.
Two of the returnees are reigning America East Player of the Year Adrianna Smith and 2021-22 AE Player of the Year and Defender of the Year Simon.
“Anna is a tremendous shooter. She can shoot threes,” said Simon. “And she is locked in defensively. She takes it personally. She doesn’t let anyone go by her. She gets frustrated if some scores on her, and that’s something we really need because our defense has to get better.”
Smith said, “I wouldn’t want her guarding me. She’s a great defender.”
Smith also noted that Kahelin can hit threes and added that she is a “great cutter and a great communicator who brings a lot of energy to the floor when she’s in.”
Vachon pointed out that in addition to supplying the team with a “defensive presence,” Kahelin also brings the Black Bears a “sense of calmness.”
Kahelin hasn’t put any lofty expectations on herself.
“I’ve been through a lot so I just want to be healthy and have a good season,” she said.
