Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and Theresa Edwards may have had first, but Allison Feaster's got next.

Feaster, co-captain of the 1997-98 Harvard women's basketball team and the nation's leading scorer this year, signed a contract yesterday with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The terms of the agreement are confidential, but the signing makes Feaster eligible for the WNBA draft which will be held on April 29 at 11 a.m. in New York City.

Feaster's decision ends weeks of speculation as to which American professional league she would sign with. Feaster ultimately cited length of season and personal reasons as the primary factors in her decision to sign with the WNBA rather than the American Basketball League (ABL).

"Factor number one was flexibility--I don't know if I want to play six months out of the year," Feaster said referring to the longer ABL schedule. "I came to Harvard because I knew I would have options."

"Factor number two--my boyfriend plays in Belgium, and spending time with him is a huge factor because we've been apart for five years," she said.

One of the primary advantages to joining the WNBA is that, because its season runs only during the summer, players are free to join European teams overseas during the rest of the year. The ABL season, which begins in October and ends in March, runs concurrently with the European season.

The incentive for Feaster to spend time in Europe is twofold--North Carolina State graduate Danny Strong, her boyfriend since high school, is currently playing professional basketball in Belgium. Feaster also has not dismissed the prospect of playing professionally in Europe herself during the WNBA's offseason.

"I would entertain the possibility [of playingin Europe during the rest of the year]," Feastersaid.

Feaster will travel to New York City for thedraft, which consists of four rounds. Each of the10 teams has one pick per round, and it isspeculated that Feaster will be one of the top 10picks and go in the first round.

"My gut tells me she'll go in the first round,"Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "Allisonis such a versatile player. I've spoken to severalprofessional coaches, and they've certainly beendoing their homework."

Unlike in other professional athletic leagues,WNBA players do not sign contracts with individualteams. Signing with the league commits a player toone of the WNBA teams.

Player's salaries are determined by the orderin which they are selected in draft. The firstthree picks will earn $50,000 for the season,picks four through seven will receive $44,000 andnumbers eight through 10 each will make $37,500.It is not known whether Feaster received a signingbonus or not.

"I hired an agent, and he did all thenegotiating," Feaster said. "Money really didn'thave that much to do with it."

A three-time Ivy League Player of the Year,Feaster won Harvard's first ever national scoringtitle this season after averaging 28.5 points pergame and leading the Crimson to its best record inhistory (23-5). She was also named a KodakAll-American, the most prestigious honor a women'scollege basketball player can receive.

Feaster was also the principal architect of oneof the greatest upsets in the history ofpostseason college basketball when she led16th-seeded Harvard to a stunning 71-67 victoryover top-seed Stanford in the first round of theNCAA Tournament. Feaster scored a game-high 35points and grabbed 13 rebounds in that contest,which was played on the Cardinal's home floor andbroadcast nationally on ESPN.

After an illustrious collegiate career duringwhich she became the Ivy League's all-time leadingscorer and the first Ancient Eight player ever torecord 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds,Feaster leaves the hallowed halls of Harvard forthe world of professional athletics.