Haleigh Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Haleigh Washington |
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Washington in 2022
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Haleigh Meridian Washington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 22, 1995 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
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| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spike | 307 cm (121 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Block | 295 cm (116 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College(s) | Pennsylvania State University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volleyball information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Middle Blocker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club |  LOVB Salt Lake |
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| Number | 22 (national team) 15 (LOVB Salt Lake) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Haleigh Washington (born September 22, 1995) is an amazing American volleyball player. She plays as a middle blocker for the United States women's national volleyball team. Haleigh was a top player for the Penn State women's volleyball team. She helped them win the national championship in 2014.
Haleigh Washington won a gold medal with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. She also earned a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
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Haleigh's Early Life and School Years
Haleigh Washington was born in Denver, Colorado. Her parents are Danielle and Alecs. When she was younger, Haleigh was good at basketball. But she found her true passion for volleyball when she joined her seventh-grade team.
She went to Clear Creek High School. College volleyball coaches started noticing her talent in her first year there. Before her junior year, her family moved to Colorado Springs. She finished high school at Doherty High School. There, she set a state record by getting 48 kills in one match!
Haleigh was named Colorado Volleyball Player of the Year in both 2012 and 2013. She led her high school team to a state championship in 2012. In 2013, she was named the Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year. Many people thought she was the best high school volleyball player in her age group. She chose to play college volleyball at Penn State. Haleigh has one brother, Kayden, and one sister, Leilani.
Playing Volleyball at Penn State
Haleigh Washington was a three-time All-American player at Penn State. This means she was recognized as one of the best college players in the country three times. As a freshman, she helped her team win the 2014 NCAA National Title. In her senior year, her team made it to the Final Four in 2017.
She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She had a very high hitting percentage of .463 that season. In her senior year, she was named the 2017 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She also led the whole country with a .503 hitting percentage. She scored 3.03 kills per set.
Haleigh said that her Penn State coach, Russ Rose, helped her get ready for the tough world of playing volleyball internationally.
Haleigh's Professional Volleyball Career
After college, Haleigh Washington played for several professional volleyball teams in Italy. These teams were part of the Italian Series A1. She played for Igor Gorgonzola Novara from 2020 to 2022. For the 2022–2023 season, she played with Savino Del Bene Scandicci.
Since 2024, Haleigh has been playing for LOVB Salt Lake in the USA.
Playing for the United States National Team
Haleigh has been a key player for the United States women's national volleyball team. In 2019, she started all three matches of the Tokyo Qualification Tournament. This is where Team USA earned their spot in the 2020 Olympic Games.
She was part of the 18-player team for the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League. In her first match as a starting middle blocker, she had nine kills and one block against Brazil.
On June 7, 2021, the US National Team coach, Karch Kiraly, announced that Haleigh would be on the 12-player Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Haleigh helped her team win the USA's first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's volleyball! She was also named the Best Middle Blocker of the tournament. She continued her Olympic success by earning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Haleigh Washington has received many awards for her amazing volleyball skills.
International Awards
- 2019 FIVB Nations League – Named "Best Middle Blocker"
- 2020 Summer Olympics – Named "Best Middle Blocker"
Professional Club Awards
- 2022–23 Women's CEV Cup - Champion with Savino del Bene Scandicci
- 2021–22 Italian Serie A1 League – Bronze medal with Novara
- 2021–22 Italian Cup (Coppa Italia) – Silver medal with Novara
- 2021–22 Italian Super Cup – Silver medal with Novara
- 2020–21 CEV Women's Champions League – Bronze medal with Novara
- 2020–21 Italian Cup (Coppa Italia) – Silver medal with Novara
- 2020–21 Italian Serie A1 League – Silver medal with Novara
- 2020–21 Italian Super Cup – Bronze medal with Novara
- 2019–20 Italian Cup (Coppa Italia) – Silver medal with Busto
College Awards
- 2014 NCAA Division I National Champions
- 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
- 2014 Unanimous All-Big Ten Freshman Team
- 2014 NCAA Louisville Regional All-Tournament Team
- 2014 All-Big Ten Team
- AVCA First Team All-American (2015, 2016, 2017)
- Unanimous All-Big Ten selection (2015, 2016, 2017)
- 2015 B1G/Pac-12 Challenge Most Valuable Player
- 2016 CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-America
- 2017 Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I volleyball
- 2017 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
See also
- List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians
