AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts women's basketball alumna Hailey Leidel has signed a professional contract with Sparta Bartreng, a member of the Total League in Luxembourg.
"All of us at UMass are incredibly excited and happy for Hailey as she heads to the Total League," said UMass head coach
Tory Verdi. "She became an elite player over the last four years and led the charge as our team established a culture and grew in countless ways on and off the court. Her success has been impressive to watch. We wish Hailey well as she heads into professional basketball!"
A four-year letter winner at Massachusetts (2016-20) and three-year captain, Leidel graduated as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,841 points, ending her career just 17 points from tying Sue Peters' (1976-80) program record of 1,858. Leidel also ranks in the top-10 in several other categories, including games played (1st; 123), games started (1st; 120), minutes (1st; 4,311), three-pointers made (1st; 301), free throw percentage (1st; .819), field goals made (7th; 581) and steals (7th; 176).
Leidel averaged 15 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game as a Minutewoman, becoming the first player since 1986 to lead the team in scoring all four years. As a senior in 2019-20, the Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection had nine 20-point performances and became the first player in program history to record 1,800 career points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists.
As a team the Minutewomen made incredible forward strides during Leidel's career, returning to the conversation among teams in the upper tier of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The 2017 A-10 Rookie of the Year helped the squad improve from nine wins during 2016-17 to tying a program-record with 20 victories in 2019-20, capping the season with an A-10 Tournament game at the Mullins Center and reaching the league Quarterfinals for the second straight season. Together with classmate Vashnie Perry, the native of Brownstown, Michigan guided UMass to more wins than any other four-year stretch since 2001.
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