MADISON — Sydney Hilliard, a 2019 Monroe graduate, announced the end of her Badger basketball career on Sunday, Jan. 8.  In February 2022, Hilliard took a personal leave of absence from the program but returned this season. A preseason injury kept her from making her debut until Dec. 1, 2022.

“I have decided that it is time for me to step away from the game of basketball, so I can concentrate on my own well-being,” Hilliard said in a University of Wisconsin-Madison press release. “This was not a decision I took lightly and I am looking forward to earning my degree in the coming months and moving toward the next chapter of my life. The love and support of my family, friends, Badger teammates and coaches has meant the world to me and I’ll always be grateful to all of them.”

She began the 2022-23 season with an injury and ended up playing in seven games, getting the start in two. She averaged 5.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg and shot 53% from the free-throw line. She dropped a season-best 11 points off the bench against Iowa — one of three Badgers in double figures.

Hilliard exits the Badger program averaging 11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.9 assists per game and shooting 66% from the free-throw line. Her sophomore and junior seasons, she started in every game she played, averaging 30.6 minutes per game. Statistically, her best season was 2020-21, where she averaged 15.5 ppg. That year, Hilliard scored a career-high 26 points against Iowa. 

Hilliard began her Badger career when she signed her letter of intent on Nov. 14, 2018. As a Cheesemaker, Hilliard was named Point Guard of the Year by the WBCA in 2019, earned All-State honors three years (third-team in 2017 and first team in 2018 and 2019), made the Badger Conference team three times, broke the single season and all-time scoring records and led Monroe to three straight state tournament appearances.

Hilliard plans to graduate with a degree in health equity and health promotion.