By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

AUBURN — Kristen Huntress built a resume at Central Maine Community College that easily placed her in the conversation to be named to the Mustang’s All Decade Women’s Basketball Team.

As Coach Andrew Morong simply put it — “I think her resume speaks for itself.”

The resume is indeed impressive:

2020 Yankee Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player

2020 Yankee Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion

2020 USCAA National Runner-Up

2020 USCAA Honorable Mention All-American

2020 USCAA National Tournament All-Tournament Team

2020 USCAA Academic All-American

2019 Yankee Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion

2019 USCAA National Champion

2019 USCAA Academic All-American

2019 USCAA National Tournament All-Tournament Team

2018 Yankee Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion

“Kristen certainly became a better basketball player, but that is not what stands out about her career at CM. Even though she has always been feisty on the court, off the court, she has always been a little timid,” Coach Morong said. “During her three years at CM, she grew into a confident leader. She was someone who was undeniably reliable, which blossomed confidence within her teammates. She raised the bar, especially in her last season (2019-20), and others instinctively followed. We are proud of what she accomplished on the court, but that pales in comparison to how proud we are in her growth as a person.”

Her finest moment was being named the 2020 Yankee Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, Coach Morong said.

“It was not the award itself, because I know she does not think twice about awards, but it was everything that went into it,” he added. “She willed our team to victory in the championship game, recording a career-high 29 points, a career high 8 steals, while shooting 75% from the floor. She was ridiculously NOTvoted to the Yankee Conference All-Conference Team. All year long our team battled through a ton of adversity, and she was our rock all season long.”

The former Lake Region standout was recently named one of 12 players to the 2010-2020 Women’s Basketball All-Decade Team. An official awards ceremony will take place this spring/summer pending Covid-19 restrictions and Maine CDC guidelines. The intent is to schedule the awards ceremony on the same night as the CM annual Hall of Fame Banquet, during Alumni Weekend. 

“It is an extreme honor to be named to CM’s All-Decade team. I was honestly surprised because there have been so many great players to come from CM, and I truly believe that there were many other talented women who could have also been on the list,” Kristen said.

For Kristen, Central Maine Community College proved to be the perfectfit, both on and off the court.

“I definitely was lucky to find a school that was the perfect fit for me. I think the small community feel and the supportive staff and professors helped me feel at home and comfortable so that I could reach my potential at CM,” she said. “The key reasons I chose CM were basketball, the size of the school, and the atmosphere. From the first time I stepped on campus, I felt like I was part of a family. If it wasn’t for basketball or Coach Morong, I definitely would not have ended up at CM. I will forever be grateful that I went there!”

Many high school athletes struggle to find that fit, a place where they can continue to play the sport they excelled at and a school that meets their academic interests.

“I would tell high school seniors to visit each school to get a feel for what the atmosphere feels like. After visiting a school, if it is the right fit for you, you will know it. I would also say not to let the stigma around community colleges steer you away,” Kristen said. “I was able to get a great education and a degree that has helped me get closer to my goal of becoming an Accountant at the fraction of a cost.”  

When asked what she feels is her greatest achievement while at CM, Kristen said, “My greatest achievement was this past year, my final year at CM. I was one of two players coming back for a third year, and our team was filled with freshman. A lot of people thought this was the year that CM wasn’t going to best team in the conference. I was challenged by my coaches, as well as my teammates, to become a vocal leader because the team needed it. Anyone who knows me knows I am far from vocal – I am very quiet and shy. I grew so much as an individual and teammate throughout the year and became the leader we needed. Despite what others thought, we ended up winning our conference championship and making it to yet another national championship game.” 

How did her college experience benefit Kristen now as a graduate?

“My college experience helped me tremendously in the transition from college to the real world. I learned so much about how to be a leader, time management, and decision making. In college, you learn what it is like to provide for and be by yourself,” she said. “Athletics specifically taught me a lot about discipline and motivation, which helps with interviews and your career in general.”

Basketball is in the rearview mirror.

Today, the focus is her career.

“I am currently working full-time at Huntress & Associates, P.A. with my dad, while taking classes part-time at USM to complete my bachelor’s degree in Accounting,” Kristen said. 

One final basketball chapter will be written when Kristen is honored at CM one more time, and then it’s on to writing what comes next.