Leah Falland

Leah Falland (née O'Connor; born 30 August 1992) is an American steeplechase runner and NCAA DI indoor track and field championships record holder in the mile run.

Leah Falland
Falland leading Shelby Houlihan and Colleen Quigley at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
Personal information
Birth nameLeah O'Connor
NationalityAmerican
Born (1992-08-30) August 30, 1992[1]
Home townCroswell, Michigan[2]
Height171 cm (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight55 kg (121 lb)[1]
Websitehttps://leahkayo.wordpress.com/
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)3000 metres steeplechase, mile run
College teamMichigan State Spartans[2]
ClubOn Athletics Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)

Biography

O'Connor was raised in Croswell, Michigan where she first learned to run on her family farm.[3] She attended Croswell-Lexington High School and was state champion in the 800 m and 1600 m.[2]

She competed collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans track and field and cross country teams starting in 2011, and qualified for the NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships every year from 2012 to 2015.[2]

Her best NCAA finishes were 1st in the steeplechase at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and 1st at the 2015 NCAA Indoor championships mile run in a championship record time of 4:27.18.[2][4][5]

O'Connor competed in the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, where she won her semi-final of the women's steeplechase despite competing with a torn plantar fascia.[6][1] She was 14th in the final the next day.[6] In 2018, Falland set the Drake Relays record in the steeplechase with a time of 9:32.23.[7]

At the 2021 United States Olympic trials, Falland tripped and fell in the steeplechase final, finishing 9th and failing again to qualify for the Olympic team.[8]

From August 2020 to October 2022, Falland was a member of the professional training group On Athletics Club and was coached by Dathan Ritzenhein.[9]

Statistics

Personal bests
EventMarkCompetitionVenueDate
3000 metres steeplechase9:16.96Stockholm Diamond LeagueStockholm, Sweden4 July 2021
Mile run4:27.18i2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsFayetteville, Arkansas14 March 2015

References
  1. Leah Falland at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  2. "Leah O'Connor – Cross Country". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. "NCAA Champ Leah O'Connor: 'I'm Just Now Falling in Love with Running'". Runner's World. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. "Leah O'Connor of Michigan State Sets NCAA Meet Record in Women's Mile, Takes Down Shelby Houlihan". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. Sheehan, Matt. "O'Connor races to another NCAA title". Times Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. "Leah (O'Connor) Falland – 4 Years Ago Project". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. "2018 Drake Relays Results". Drake University Athletics. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. Friend, Phil. "Olympic heartbreak for former MSU star Leah Falland after tripping in 3,000-meter steeplechase final". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. "For anyone interested in a (probably overdue) career update— swipe away!". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.


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