Wagner head women’s basketball coach Heather Jacobs has announced that Jennifer Leedham, who amassed a .588 winning percentage in the last four seasons as head coach of Franklin Pierce College, has been hired as an assistant coach with the Seahawks.
Leedham led the Rindge, NH-based Division II program to two NCAA Championship appearances (2013 & 2015) while reaching the Northeast-10 Conference Championship in each of her four seasons.
“I am very excited to welcome Jen to Wagner,” said Jacobs. “We have known each other for many years and I have great respect for her as a coach. She brings tremendous experience and understands what it takes to win and I know that her presence will have an immediate impact in all facets of our program.”
During her four years at the helm of the Franklin Pierce program, Leedham mentored one All-Region selection, six All-Northeast-10 selections, and one All-Rookie Team choice. She also coached Tiffany Johnson, who claimed the 2012-13 Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Before taking over at Franklin Pierce in 2012, Leedham served three seasons as an assistant with the Ravens, assisting in all aspects of the program, which included recruiting, player development, fundraising, travel arrangements, scouting and practice plans.
Prior to embarking on her coaching career, the native of Ellesmere Port, England, was one of the finest student-athletes and competitors in the history of Franklin Pierce Athletics, earning a spot in the Ravens’ Hall of Fame in 2016.
Excelling at the point for the women’s basketball team from 2005-09, she scored over 1,000 career points and was the floor general for several teams which reached unparalleled heights in program history.
She capped her playing career by leading Franklin Pierce to the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championship game, where the Raves dropped a tough 103-94 decision to Minnesota State-Mankato. In the title game, Leedham delivered an outstanding performance in front of national television cameras on ESPN2, netting a season-high 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting (5-of-7 from three-point range), in addition to dishing out nine assists, swiping four steals and blocking two shots.
She was named to the NCAA Elite Eight All-Tournament Team for her impressive performance at the national finals. Following the season, Leedham was bestowed several other awards including the 2009 Walter Peterson Female Senior Student-Athlete-of-the-Year award, and the NE-10 Defensive Player-of-the-Year Award, in addition to earning All-NE-10 Second-Team honors.
In the summer of 2009, she went on to represent Great Britain in the World University Games in Serbia.
“I am very excited and beyond grateful for the opportunity I have been given at Wagner College,” Leedham said. “I have a lot of respect and appreciation for Coach Jacobs, and I am thrilled to be working with her and the rest of the staff. I am looking forward to building something special and taking the program to the next level.”
Leedham graduated from Franklin Pierce in May of 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in sports and recreation management. Later, she also earned her MBA in Leadership from the University in May of 2013.
Photo Courtesy Wagner Athletics
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