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Elle Leonard

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Elle Leonard
Born
Elizabeth Anne Bielfeldt

(1992-01-15) January 15, 1992 (age 32)
Peoria, Illinois, United States
Other namesElle Bielfeldt
EducationBachelor's degree, 2014
Alma materUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active2018–present
SpouseMeyers Leonard
Children1

Elizabeth Anne "Elle" Leonard (/ˈɛliː/;[1] née Bielfeldt; born January 15, 1992) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and former athlete. At Peoria Notre Dame High School, she excelled in basketball and volleyball. In basketball, she was a 5th team all-state selection who had several all-star game appearances. She did not continue athletics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she met her husband who is National Basketball Association veteran Meyers Leonard. She is from the Central Illinois Bielfeldt family, along with her brother Max Bielfeldt. She started her own food brand that has expanded to clothing.

Background and early life

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Leonard is the oldest of four children of David and Julie Bielfeldt.[2] Leonard's parents and both sets of grandparents are Illinois alumni. Grandfather Gary Bielfeldt played for Illinois Fighting Illini football in the 1950s,[3] and he later became a commodities trader.[4][5] Grandmother Carlotta Bielfeldt was homecoming queen at Illinois.[6] Constructed between the October 21, 1994, groundbreaking and the October 4, 1996, dedication, the Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building is a $7.2 million ($13.99 million in 2023), 43,000-square-foot (3995 m2) building endowed by Gary and Carlotta Bielfeldt.[7]

Leonard began playing competitive basketball in third grade in the Peoria Girls Sports League and was a student at Peoria Academy until eighth grade. In the summer of 2005, she regularly practiced late into the night to develop her jump shot.[8]

High school

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When she arrived at Peoria Notre Dame High School in Fall 2006 she hoped to join the freshman basketball team but was almost immediately thrust into varsity competition.[8] She started contributing very quickly.[9] As a sophomore she averaged 11.8 points.[10] During her 2008–09 junior season she (listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)) earned press along with her younger (sophomore) brother, Max Bielfeldt (listed at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)), for being one of the area's interesting sibling basketball performers.[11] That year she averaged 12.3 points.[12] Bielfeldt was listed as a center.[13] On December 15, 2009, she scored 19 points, including her 1000th career point, in a victory against crosstown rival Peoria High School.[14][15] On January 14, 2010, Leonard scored 25 points against LaSalle-Peru High School.[16] During her senior season, the team started with a 9–8 record before winning 11 games in a row before losing the rematch against Peoria High School on February 2, 2010.[17]

In the 2010 Class 3A/4A Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Girls All-Star Game she tallied 4 points and 7 rebounds.[18] Leonard was invited to participate in a pair of 2010 All-star games that pitted a Peoria, Illinois city team against a suburban team: Kiwanis Senior Boys and Girls Basketball Invitational,[19] and the Independent Sports Club of Central Illinois Senior All-Star Classic.[20] She was a 2010 Peoria Journal Star Large School second team (all-area) All-star.[21] She was an Illinois Basketball Services large school all-state fifth team selection.[22]

Her younger brother, Max, was highly touted for basketball, but Elle claims that she could beat him at one-on-one until he could dunk. She opted to attend University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign purely as a student rather than continue her basketball career at a smaller school as a scholarship athlete.[8] In the March 30, 2010, announcement that the Peoria Times-Observer would cease operations on April 28, 2010, both Elle and Max Bielfeldt were thanked for having lives that made for great content.[23]

As a junior middle hitter, she had 155 blocks, and 131 kills for the volleyball team.[24] As a senior, she had 132 kills, 108 blocks, and 27 aces.[25] Her younger (high school class of 2014) sister, Matti (listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)), excelled in volleyball (179 kills, 87 digs, 79 blocks and 30 aces as a senior) and eventually joined the University of Illinois team.[2][26][27]

Career

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In 2018, Elle created Level Foods because of her husband's special dietary needs.[28][29] She serves as chief executive officer of the company.[30] After three years of operating solely as a food company, the brand marketed merchandise and then subsequently expanded to female sportswear.[citation needed]

Personal life

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On May 25, 2014, Elle accepted Meyers' engagement proposal.[31] They were married at the beginning of August 2015.[32][33] On June 7, 2022, their son Liam Walter Leonard was born.[34] Leonard can be seen keeping her basketball skills sharp on social media.[35]

Philanthropy

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The Leonards donated $20,000 to the United States Armed Forces program for the American Red Cross.[36] They donated $500,000 to the Illinois Athletic Department toward the renovation of the site of their first date, the Ubben Basketball Complex.[37]

Notes

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  1. ^ Leonard, Elle. "elleleonard". Instagram. Hi, I'm [EL] - [EE]
  2. ^ a b "2013 Journal Star All-Area Volleyball Team". Peoria Journal Star. November 27, 2013. p. 2D. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ^ Ryan, Shannon (March 20, 2016). "Former Illini fan Max Bielfeldt fulfilling dreams at Indiana". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Stewart, Greg (February 10, 2011). "Is Max Bielfeldt a big-time player? Or just big?". Peoria Journal Star. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  5. ^ "Market Wizards, Disc 4: Interviews with Paul Tudor Jones: The Art of Aggressive Trading & Gary Bielfeldt: Yes, They Do Trade T-Bonds in Peoria". AbeBooks. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Osterman, Zach (February 25, 2016). "Hoosiers' Bielfeldt is a Big Ten lifer". Indianapolis Star. p. C.3. ProQuest 1767908512. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Bielfeldt Athletics Administration Building". Illinois Fighting Illini. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Batters, Tom (December 29, 2009). "Girls basketball spotlight: PND senior Elle Bielfeldt". Peoria Times-Observer. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "East Peoria, Richwoods win". Peoria Journal Star. November 29, 2006. p. D3. Retrieved March 29, 2023. Elle Bielfeldt had 13 points for ND
  10. ^ "Mid-State 6 Conference outlook". Peoria Journal Star. November 18, 2008. p. D5. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "Sibling Duos". Peoria Journal Star. January 23, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2023. No fewer than three brother-sister combos are standing out so far this basketball season. We take a look:. . .ELLE BIELFLEDT 5-11, jr., 12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg MAX BIELFELDT 6-6, so. 16.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg
  12. ^ "Mid-State 6 girls basketball". Peoria Journal Star. November 20, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Batters, Tom (January 23, 2009). "Let's Hear It For The Girls- 1-23-09". Peoria Times-Observer. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Miller, Jane (December 17, 2009). "Feeling the heat, in a good way". Peoria Journal Star. p. D1. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  15. ^ Miller, Jane (December 16, 2009). "Irish defense boxes in Central to win - ND wins 56-52 with box-and-one on Watkins". Peoria Journal Star. p. D6. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  16. ^ "HS Highlights: All's well that ends well for Notre Dame girls". Peoria Journal Star. January 15, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Batters, Tom (February 9, 2010). "Girls Basketball Notebook". Peoria Times-Observer. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Ryan, Bo (June 20, 2010). "North sides score wins in IBCA girls all-star games". Peoria Journal Star. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Stewart, Greg (March 26, 2010). "Finally, friendly hoops competition". Peoria Journal Star. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "M-S 6, M-I stars meet in City/Suburban Classic". Peoria Journal Star. March 28, 2010. p. 5D. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  21. ^ "Journal Star Large-School Girls Teams". Peoria Journal Star. March 24, 2010. p. 5D. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  22. ^ "Richwoods, Brimfield, Knoxville girls honored". Peoria Journal Star. March 16, 2010. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  23. ^ Batters, Tom (March 30, 2010). "Thanks to all who made this job fun". Peoria Times-Observer. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  24. ^ "Journal Star-area big-school volleyball outlook". Peoria Journal Star. August 30, 2009. p. 5D. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  25. ^ "Journal Star-area big-school volleyball outlook". Peoria Journal Star. August 24, 2010. p. 5D. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  26. ^ "2014 Women's Volleyball Roster: 9 Matti Bielfeldt". Illinois Fighting Illini. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  27. ^ Widmer, Ricky (May 20, 2014). "Illinois Fighting Illini Volleyball: Matti Bielfeldt To Join Illini In 2014". FanSided. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  28. ^ Casey, Tim (October 5, 2020). "How Miami Heat Center Meyers Leonard And His Wife, Elle, Built A Health Food Company". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  29. ^ Passalaqua, Holly and Sarah Grossbart (August 25, 2020). "Outside the NBA Bubble: Elle and Meyers Leonard Are That Couple and It's Actually Kinda Sweet". E! News. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  30. ^ Coral, Racquel (February 17, 2020). "NBWA Honors ABC7's Cheryl Burton with "Unsung Sheroes" Award at 3rd Annual Women's Empowerment Summit" (online). Chicago Defender. ProQuest 2472205047. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  31. ^ Conn, Justin (June 29, 2014). "Not a kid anymore - Now a grown-up, Leonard returns to Robinson for basketball camp". Herald & Review. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  32. ^ "See which Portland Trail Blazers showed up at Meyers Leonard's wedding". Fox Sports. August 5, 2015. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  33. ^ Freeman, Joe (August 4, 2015). "Trail Blazers' Meyers Leonard is off the market: A look at his wedding". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  34. ^ Leonard, Meyers (June 8, 2022). "@meyersleonard post". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  35. ^ Bengel, Chris (June 1, 2019). "Meyers Leonard showcases his wife, Elle, making spectacular trick shots". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  36. ^ Winderman, Ira (December 24, 2020). "Winderman's view: Magic 113, Heat 107". TCA Regional News. ProQuest 2472205047. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  37. ^ Anderson, Kimball (January 20, 2022). "Leonard: 'I was a fool' Former Illini 'taking steps to educate myself'". The Pantagraph. ProQuest 2472205047. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
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