DAVIS, Calif.  — UC Davis women's basketball continues to have strong representation in the international basketball scene as two former Aggies, Morgan Bertsch and Lena Svanholm, have signed professional contracts to continue their basketball careers during the 2026-27 season. Bertsch will play for Beretta Famila Schio in Italy, while Svanholm has signed with Amon Jeugd Gentson in Belgium.

The program's all-time leading scorer and 2019 Big West Player of the Year, Bertsch will play her eighth professional basketball season with Schio in the Italian Serie A1 League. Playing primarily with Jairis in the LF Endesa league in Spain last year, Bertsch averaged 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, scoring 20+ points in three separate contests including a season-high 25 points in a win over Ensino on March 6. Finishing the year as the second-leading scorer on the team, she helped lead her team to an appearance in the Spanish Cup Finals.

The most decorated athlete in Aggies history, Bertsch made history in 2019 when she was selected in the third round of the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings, becoming the first player in UC Davis history to make the league. Most recently, she played 11 games for the Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings in 2024.

Svanholm, who played with the Aggies from 2020-24, joins Gentson after averaging 13 points and five rebounds in 21 games for KFUM Ostersund Basket in Sweden last year, helping lead the team to the Sweden-Damligan Semifinals back in April. At season's end, she was named an All-Swedish League Honorable Mention and to the All-Bosmans Team.

A three time Big West All-Academic selection, Svanholm stood out ahead of the 2023-24 season after being accepted into UC Davis' Ph.D. program for Chemistry and Chemical Biology, being the only known Division I women's basketball player to be enrolled in a doctoral program at the time.

"I had great conversations with Head Coach Jan Vermeersch prior to joining the team and was immediately drawn to the player development focus, competitive environment, and dynamic playing style within the program." Svanholm said. "I see this as a great setting to continue improving as a player, contribute to the team's ambitions and goals, and become a part of the Gentson basketball community."

The entire Aggie program wishes Bertsch and Svanholm the best of luck as they continue their pro careers.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:

UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States in agriculture and forestry as well as No. 1 in veterinary medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.