Franklin Pierce University

Jennifer Leedham enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball program in 2015-16. Through three seasons in Rindge, Leedham has amassed a 53-34 record (.609 winning percentage) over 87 games, including a 39-25 mark (.609) over 64 games in Northeast-10 Conference play.

Leedham inherited a team which had earned five consecutive NCAA Championship berths and has continued the program's success by leading the team to NCAA Championship selections in two of her first three seasons at the helm (2015 and 2013). In addition, the Ravens have qualified for the Northeast-10 Championship in each of her three seasons in Rindge.

In total, Leedham has mentored one All-Reigon selection, four All-Northeast-10 selections and one All-Rookie Team selection in her three seasons as the bench boss. She has also coached one Northeast-10 major award winner, as Tiffany Johnson claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2012-13. In the classroom, Leedham's players have combined for two Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference selections.

Most recently, Leedham's 2014-15 squad collected 19 wins (19-11, 13-8 Northeast-10) and returned to the NCAA Championship after a one-year hiatus. At the East Regional, the Ravens downed District of Columbia in the quarterfinal round before falling to eventual regional champion New Haven in the semifinal round. The week prior, Franklin Pierce also advanced to the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship, before falling to top seed and host Adelphi.

For her work in the 2014-15 campaign, junior forward Kara Charette was named to the All-Northeast-10 First Team and later earned All-East Region Second Team honors from Daktronics. In addition, Charette also earned Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference accolades. Meanwhile, graduate student forward Jess Hurd took home All-Northeast-10 Honorable Mention honors.

In the 2013-14 campaign, Leedham's Ravens finished at 16-12 (12-9 Northeast-10), which included an 11-6 mark after the calendar turned to January. The second-half surge allowed the crimson and grey to qualify for the Northeast-10 Championship, where they defeated Southern Connecticut State in the first round before falling on the road at Adelphi in the quarterfinal round. On the awards circuit, sophomore forward Kara Charette earned All-Northeast-10 Second Team honors, while senior guard Brittany Martelle landed on the Third Team and senior guard Brooke Coderre earned Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference accolades.

As a rookie head coach in 2012-13, Leedham led the Ravens to an 18-11 record, a trip to the Northeast-10 Championship semifinals, and the program's sixth-consecutive trip to the NCAA. All that was done while the team was dealing with injuries to multiple key contributors.

Several Ravens benefitted from Leedham's leadership, including senior guard Tiffany Johnson who was named the Northeast-10 Conference's Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman forward Kara Charette, who was selected to the All-NE-10 Rookie Team.

After a stellar playing career and a successful first three seasons as an assistant coach, Leedham was named the new head coach of the Franklin Pierce women’s basketball program at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Leedham took over for Steve Hancock, who served as head coach the previous three seasons. Hancock served as a mentor for Leedham and helped her get to this point. As a player and assistant coach, Leedham was one of the major factors in Franklin Pierce being one of the nation’s top women’s programs over the past five seasons prior to her head appointment.

Leedham was tabbed as the assistant coach following the conclusion of the 2008-09 season. In her first season in that role during the 2009-10 season, Leedham helped guide Franklin Pierce to a 32-2 overall record, a No. 1 national ranking, the Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament championships, an NCAA East Regional title and a trip to the Division II Final Four.

Leedham and Hancock’s best coaching job, however, may have come the following season in 2010-11. Faced with the loss of three major contributors, no seniors and a backcourt comprised of three true freshmen, Leedham was part of a coaching unit which guided Franklin Pierce to a 24-8 overall record, a top-10 national ranking at one point during the year, a second-place finish in the NE-10 regular season and a trip to the conference championship game. The Ravens were rewarded with a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, the program's fourth-straight appearance on the national stage.

This past season, Leedham helped lead Franklin Pierce to a 20-10 record and the team’s fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Several players have earned major accolades under the guidance of Leedham, including former standout and younger sister, Johannah Leedham, who became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division II history with 3,050 points. She was named the WBCA/State Farm Division II Player of the Year in 2010, while also picking up the same honor from the Northeast-10. Following her senior season, Johannah was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Draft. In 2011, Jewel White was named the Northeast-10 Conference and Daktronics East Region Player of the Year, while Marielle Giroud garnered the NE-10 Defensive Player-of-the-Year award twice (2011 & 2012).

The program has also experienced success in the classroom. In July of 2011, Franklin Pierce was honored by the WBCA with a No. 11 national ranking in the WBCA Division II Academic Top-25 Poll. Franklin Pierce, which was the only school in the Northeast-10 Conference to appear in the rankings, earned a team GPA of 3.524 during the 2010-11 year. Franklin Pierce was one of just 39 schools across all levels of college basketball last season (Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, Junior/Community College) to earn a team GPA of 3.5 or better. In 2012, Franklin Pierce earned a No. 21 national ranking in the WBCA Academic Poll with a 3.4 team GPA.

Leedham is widely regarded as one of the finest student-athletes and competitors in the history of Franklin Pierce Athletics. She starred as the point guard for the women's basketball team from 2005-09, scored over 1,000 career points and was the floor general for several teams which reached unparalleled heights in program history. 

As a true freshman in 2005-06, Leedham was a member of a Ravens team which captured the ECAC Division II Championship with a thrilling 61-60 win over top-seeded Philadelphia. As a sophomore in 2006-07, she started all 28 games and led the team with 117 assists, while ranking second on the squad with an average of 12.8 points per game.

Leedham and the Ravens exploded during her final two seasons as they captured back-to-back NCAA East Regional championships. As a junior and co-captain in 2008, Leedham earned All-NE-10 Third-Team honors and guided the Ravens to the Eastern title and a trip to the Division II Elite Eight.

Franklin Pierce made a name for itself on the national scene in Leedham's senior season of 2008-09. She was the point guard on a Ravens team which captured the Northeast-10 Championship (the first NE-10 title in program history) and won its second-consecutive East Region title. Franklin Pierce advanced to the Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas, where the Ravens dispatched of California (Pa.) in quarterfinals, 88-73, thanks in part to Leedham's 16 points and eight assists. In the Final Four versus Delta State, Leedham had a solid game of nine points and five steals to help lead the Ravens to a 58-39 victory and the school's first appearance in the national championship game, which would come two nights later on March 27.