Kristin Chmielewski keeps baffling defenders, PA announcers in the playoffs

Stow's senior leader has her team off to a 2-0 start in the playoffs after averaging over 20 points and 7 rebounds in the regular season.
Kristin Chmielewski keeps baffling defenders, PA announcers in the playoffs
Kristin Chmielewski keeps baffling defenders, PA announcers in the playoffs /

Story and photo by Ryan Isley

STOW, Ohio — Guard Kristin Chmielewski of Stow-Munroe Falls has made a name for herself, even if most people can’t pronounce it.

“Every gym I go to, the announcer does it differently,” Chmielewski says of her last name. “It’s a surprise every time.”

The 5-foot-11 senior captain is doing her part to make sure everyone knows her name this season.

She averaged 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for a Bulldogs team that went 20-2 in the regular season and has now set her sights on helping Stow make a deep tournament run.

“It would mean so much because I feel like this whole team has put in so much work,” Chmielewski said. “I feel like the reward would be winning those games, and I would really like to give that to my team and achieve that with them.”

Stow began its tournament push with a 69-9 win over Ashtabula Lakeside on Saturday and then a 46-35 win over Uniontown Lake on Wednesday to advance to the district semifinals.

While the starters were not needed for much action in the opener, Chmielewski didn’t leave the court against Lake and led the Bulldogs with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists. As the numbers suggest, she did a little bit of everything in the win over Lake.

She drove to the basket for buckets, grabbed her own miss and put it back in for two points multiple times and consistently found open teammates, whether she was in the post or on the perimeter.

Her height and athleticism allow her to play inside and outside as the focal point of the Bulldogs offense, which makes her a difficult defensive assignment for most teams.

It also allows her to be an asset on the defensive end for Stow, as coach Bob Podges said before the season that she was the “best defender on a team known for defense.”

“If he says that, it means a lot because we are really big on defense,” Chmielewski said. “That’s our main thing.”

Chmielewski was named honorable mention All-Ohio in Division I last season when she averaged 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs as they advanced to the district final before falling to Canton McKinley.

She entered this season as a senior leader on a young team that has just a few seniors and several freshmen and sophomores.

But Chmielewski just did what she learned from all of Stow’s leaders before her — she stepped up and was ready to lead from day one.

“I have watched all of my teammates take on the role when the other seniors leave,” Chmielewski said. “When it was my time to do that, I was prepared from all the other players. They got me ready. It’s important for me to take on that role and help out the younger players because we do have a younger team this year.”

That leadership intangible has made Chmielewski special for Stow this season as the Bulldogs went 12-0 in Suburban League Conference play, capturing yet another National Division crown.

“Take away the numbers because she brings the leadership to our team, and that’s the thing that she does the best for us," Podges said. “She understands her role, and she performs very well in her role. She has been a special kid since she has been here in the program. She has been a leader on and off the floor.”

Chmielewski has become an example for younger players by taking her studies seriously and carries a GPA over 4.0 to go along with her success on the floor. While some athletes might not find time to fit everything in, Stow’s leader makes the time.

“It’s just about getting stuff done when you need it,” Chmielewski said. “I know when I have to get stuff done before I can do anything else, like do stuff before practice. I do that a lot, so I don’t procrastinate. I just try to balance everything.”

And while she has picked up a lot from her high school coaches and teammates over the last four seasons, she also has learned a lot from the players on her AAU team, Ohio Xtreme.

That team has players such as CVCA’s Gia Casalinova, GlenOak’s Breezie Williams, Massillon Jackson’s Emma Dretke and Buckeye Central’s Claudia Pifher.

“We all bounce off each other,” Chmielewski said. “I love playing with them, and it’s such a great opportunity to play with such great players.”

As for the name nobody can seem to pronounce correctly, she laughs when asked how many ways she has heard it said incorrectly.

“Oh my gosh, too many to count,” Chmielewski said. “There have been so many different ways.”

It doesn’t faze Chmielewski.

“I have never gotten upset about that. I don’t really care,” she said. “Since grade school, every teacher I have to explain to them how to say it, so I am used to it.”

But what is the correct pronunciation? Even Chmielewski paused as she tried to spell it phonetically.

“I would do 'sh' because a lot of people get that wrong,” she said. “Shim-il-eski.”

With the way she's been playing, it's only a matter of time before her name rolls off people's tongues.


Published
Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports
RYAN ISLEY, SBLIVE SPORTS

Ryan Isley is a Regional Editor for SBLive Sports, covering Ohio and Pennsylvania.