University of Hartford women's basketball coach Polly Thomason announces the return of Hailee Barron to the coaching staff.

Barron replaces Meredith Mesaris, who was recently named as the head women's basketball coach at Vassar College.

"I am excited to welcome Hailee back to Hartford," said Thomason. "Hailee is an energetic, intelligent, and fierce competitor, who will greatly impact our program. We will all benefit from her extensive playing and coaching experience, and her knowledge of Hartford will enhance our recruiting efforts immediately."

She spent three seasons, 2019-22, with the Hawks women's basketball program in her first go-around. Barron came to Hartford initially by way of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A member of the Badgers' women's basketball team's coaching staff as a graduate assistant, she assisted with the program's social media initiatives and the day-to-day office duties.

Barron was a four-year letter winner at James Madison University, where she played in 132 games for her career, which ties for sixth in program history. As a guard, she drained 129 three-point field goals to rank 10th all time for the Dukes. Barron scored 522 points during her career, averaging 4.0 points per game while adding 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest.
 
A native of Burlington, Vermont, Barron scored nearly 1,200 points in her career at Rice High School. A First Team All-State honoree in 2014, she also was a member of the soccer and track and field teams during her high school career.