Elle Leonard

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 football 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 ($13.43 million in 2022), 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]

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]

During her freshman year, Max came to the University of Illinois on February 26 and 27, 2011 for his official recruiting visit.[28] Meyers Leonard hosted Max during his official visit and met Elle for the first time.[29] Elle was friends with Mike Davis' girlfriend, and after Illinois' 2010–11 basketball season, her relationship with Leonard developed.[30] Their first date was five hours long at the University of Illinois gym. The pair spent two hours of shooting basketball and then three hours of talking, since she refused a dinner date.[29] As Leonard's girlfriend during the 2012 NBA draft ceremony, she was regarded as having notable sex appeal compared to wives and girlfriends in attendance.[31] Leonard studied marketing and advertising at Illinois, and she graduated with her bachelor's degree in 2014.[29]

In 2018, Elle created Level Foods because of her husband's special dietary needs.[29][32] She serves as chief executive officer of the company.[33] After three years of operating solely as a food company, the brand marketed merchandise and then subsequently expanded to female sportswear.[34]

On May 25, 2014, Elle accepted Meyers' engagement proposal.[30] They were married at the beginning of August 2015.[35][36] On June 7, 2022, their son Liam Walter Leonard was born.[37] Leonard can be seen keeping her basketball skills sharp on social media.[38]

The Leonards donated $20,000 to the United States Armed Forces program for the American Red Cross.[39] They donated $500,000 to the Illinois Athletic Department toward the renovation of the site of their first date, the Ubben Basketball Complex.[40]