July 6, 2006

BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University head men's basketball coach Rex Walters has announced the hiring of Leah Wahlgren as his administrative assistant.

Wahlgren will serve as the first contact for the men's basketball office with on-campus visitors and the public. She will also assist in the program's day-to-day operations, including camps, academics and community involvement.

"We are excited to have Leah join our basketball family," noted Walters. "She has a great deal of knowledge about basketball and collegiate athletics from playing, coaching and working in compliance at Oklahoma State and then serving as Director of Women's Basketball Operations, as an academic mentor and a business office assistant at Wichita State. She came very highly recommended by (Wichita State men's basketball) coach Mark Turgeon. We are lucky to have her on our staff."

Wahlgren brings seven years of collegiate experience in basketball and athletics to FAU. A former basketball player at Oklahoma State, she most recently served as the Director of Women's Basketball Operations at Wichita State, 2004-06.

Her daily responsibilities for the Shockers included coordinating facility use, practice needs, team travel and various banquets, luncheons and functions. In addition to being the team's academic liaison, Wahlgren was also an academic mentor with the school's WIN Program for one year, assisting in the development of special programming for at-risk student-athletes.

She originally came to the WSU Department of Athletics as an assistant in the business office for the 2003-04 school year.

Prior to her time at Wichita State, Wahlgren was a student assistant on the Oklahoma State women's basketball staff, 2002-03, and was responsible for team equipment inventory while assisting with recruiting, camps and operations. She also worked as an athletic compliance intern at OSU in the summer of 2002.

Wahlgren was an All-Academic Big XII selection in 2003 as a Cowgirl player and was named to the Big XII Conference Commissioners Honor Roll from 2000-02. She received the OSU Student-Athlete Excellence Award from 2000-03 and was also named to the President's and Dean's Honor Roll.

A native of Salina, KS, Wahlgren graduated from Oklahoma State in 2003 with a bachelor's in Health Promotion. She completed her master's in Sports Administration at Wichita State in 2005.