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University of Illinois Athletics

Jess Leifheit WKU head shot_web temp

Jess Leifheit

  • Title
    Assistant Director, Athletics Communication
    WBB, WTE, SB (interim), WGO (interim)
  • Email
    jessleif
  • Alma Mater
    Augustana (IL) College '14

Began at Illinois:
July, 2022 (also interned from 2014-16)

Education:
Leifheit is a 2014 graduate of Augustana College (IL), where she earned degrees in biology and pre-medicine.

Responsibilities:
Leifheit serves as the primary media contact for the Illinois women’s basketball and women's tennis programs in addition to being the FightingIllini.com website liaison. She's served as the interim contact with Illinois volleyball (fall 2022) and has worked with the softball program.

Past Experience:
Leifheit returned to Illinois following six years in the Athletic Communications/Media Relations department at Western Kentucky (2016-22). She spent the first three years in Bowling Green as an assistant director and the primary contact for the Hilltoppers' volleyball, softball, track & field and cross country programs. The following three years, Leifheit was elevated to an associate director where she continued working with volleyball and softball along with taking on duties as the website and main social media account coordinator.

Across her time at WKU, Leifheit provided coverage of 14 conference championships won by the Hilltoppers (regular season and tournament) between the volleyball (10), softball (3), and track & field (1) programs. She helped both the volleyball and softball programs achieve program attendance records and hosted three CUSA Championship events and the NCAA Volleyball First and Second Rounds while at WKU. 

In her two years at Illinois as an intern in the Athletics Communication department, Leifheit was the primary contact for men's gymnastics, women's golf, women's tennis, and swim & dive while working heavily with the volleyball, softball, and both basketball programs.

After competing on the women’s soccer team her freshman year of undergrad at Augustana College, Leifheit worked the next three years in the Sports Information department helping with all 20 athletic programs. After starting as a volleyball statistician, she would eventually be the primary sport contact for both the men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams in addition to the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams as a senior.

Personal:
A native of Big Rock, Illinois, Leifheit now resides in Urbana, Illinois.

Updated: August, 2024.