A New Chapter for Aggie Icons
Morgan Bertsch, the University of California, Davis women's basketball all‑time leading scorer and 2019 Big West Player of the Year, is set to begin the next phase of her career in Italy's Serie A2 with Beretta Famila Schio. The 6‑foot‑3 forward, who was selected by the Dallas Wings in the third round of the 2019 WNBA Draft and appeared in 11 games for both the Mercury and the Wings in 2024, brings a proven scoring arsenal that helped her team reach the Spanish Cup finals and post a 25‑point outing last season in the LF Endesa league.
Lena Svanholm, meanwhile, will travel to Belgium to join Amon Jeugd Gentson, a club that reached the Sweden‑Damligan semifinals earlier this year. Svanholm, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at UC Davis and is recognized as the only Division I women's basketball player known to be enrolled in a doctoral program, averaged 13 points and five rebounds for KFUM Ostersund Basket in Sweden last season and earned All‑Swedish League honorable‑mention accolades.
Both athletes expressed enthusiasm for the competitive environments they will encounter. Bertsch praised the player‑development focus of her new Italian club, while Svanholm highlighted the supportive atmosphere of Gentson, noting that the team's philosophy aligns with her ambitions on and off the court.
UC Davis officials celebrated the moves as a testament to the program's growing reputation on the international stage. The university's athletics director remarked that the achievements of Bertsch and Svanholm not only reflect individual excellence but also underscore the Aggies' capacity to nurture talent that competes at the highest levels abroad.
Fans and analysts alike are watching closely as the two former Aggies embark on what promises to be a pivotal season. Their experiences abroad are expected to enrich their game, broaden their professional networks, and potentially open pathways back to the WNBA or other elite competitions.