Barbara Liebowitz Bettigole was the first great player in Yale women’s basketball program history, and the Bulldogs’ records book still bears her name in a number of places.
 
Liebowitz Bettigole (née Liebowitz) was a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs from 1975-78, which coincided with the first four years of Ivy League women’s basketball. A two-sport athlete, Liebowitz Bettigole also lettered in field hockey during the 1974 and 1976 seasons.
 
In addition to playing in the inaugural Ivy League Women’s Basketball Tournament during the 1974-75 campaign, where the Bulldogs finished tied for second, Liebowitz Bettigole was the 1976-77 Yale Most Valuable Player and a member of the first-ever All-Ivy first team following the 1977-78 season.
 
Liebowitz Bettigole left her mark on the Bulldogs’ record books when it comes to individual records as well. She is first on Yale’s career rebound list with 928, owns the first and second spots on the single-season rebounds list with 279 and 278 during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons, respectively, and is 19th on the all-time scoring list with 1,046 points.
 
Following her senior year, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in American History, Liebowitz Bettigole received the 1978 Nellie P. Elliot Award, which is awarded to the senior woman whose excellence as an athlete and a student best represents the ideals of sportsmanship and Yale tradition.
 
After she completed her Masters degree in the Art of Teaching from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., in 1997, Liebowitz Bettigole began an 18-year career at the Dutchess Day School in Dutchess County, N.Y. During her time at the school, Liebowitz Bettigole served as a reading, second grade, third grade and fourth grade teacher. She also coached the basketball and tennis teams from 1998-2004, was the Lower School Division Head from 2004-11 and the Professional Development Liaison 2012-15.