Valparaiso University head coach Keith Freeman has announced that Sanna Helenius has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Crusaders starting in the fall.

Helenius, a 5'11" forward from Vantaa, Finland who played at John Logan Junior College this past season, will have three years of eligibility left when she joins the Valpo program. Last season, she led the Lady Vols to a 24-9 record as the team advanced to the regional championship game. She was named to the All-Region Team during both the regular season and the conference tournament. The team's leading scorer, Helenius averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest for John Logan.

Prior to arriving at John Logan, Helenius played club basketball in Finland for KaPo Basket where she averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per contest and led the team to a third place finish at the Finland Championship Tournament. She also was a member of Finland's Junior National Team for three seasons.

?Sanna is a great addition for our program," Freeman said. ?She is a great athlete who can defend, works hard, and has tremendous potential. We are excited to have her involved in our program for the next three years."

?Sanna makes this class very solid on the perimeter. Our three earlier signees all had great years. Leah and Launa Hochstetler won the state championship at Hiland High School in Ohio finishing 28-0 and Launa was named First Team All State. Aimee Litka's Saint Joe's team finished 25-1 and won the state title in Indiana and she was selected to play on the Indiana All-Star Team. This class has proven to be winners and workers."