Mile News


NCAA Champ Leah O’Connor: ‘I’m Just Now Falling in Love with Running’

April 28, 2015

The Michigan State University senior talks about goals, training, and racing in her final season as a Spartan.

By John A. Kissane, Running Times

As she laughs at memories of her childhood running experiences on the family farm near Croswell, Michigan, it’s clear Leah O’Connor’s strengths as an athlete are grounded in a deep and long-standing love for her sport. That passion, she explains, has continued growing right up to the present day. A two-time individual NCAA champion and a strong contender for a spot on the 2015 U.S. World Championships team, O’Connor will bring her career at Michigan State University to a close this June. But she has plenty of running to do as a Spartan.

O’Connor graduated from Croswell-Lexington High School, enrollment 800, in 2010 with personal bests of 2:15.08 for 800m and 5:01.99 for the Mile and won Division 2 State Championships in both events her junior and senior seasons. At Michigan State, under the guidance of veteran coach Walt Drenth, O’Connor found her calling in the 3000 meter steeplechase. As a redshirt freshman she won the Big Ten title in the event. She took fifth place at the NCAA Championships in 2013 before winning the event in 2014 in a school record of 9:36.43, good enough to rank her sixth in the U.S. that year.

Now in her final year as a Spartan, O’Connor claimed individual cross country victories at both the Big Ten championships and Great Lakes regional last fall and finished 17th at nationals, helping Michigan State claim the program’s first-ever team title. On March 14 she rolled to win at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the Mile in a meet record time of 4:27.18, currently the 4th fastest Mile in the world this year. 

Continue reading at: www.runningtimes.com

Tags: michigan state (2) , leah o'connor (7)

Facebook Comments

Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

Become a Mile Maniac member or a BBTM sponsor today! Join us, and go Mile!

Join Us

Thanks for joining the movement and being a Mile Maniac. We'll keep you up to-date with our Mile wires as well as exclusive contests and opportunities. Help us spread the word by sharing our site and joining us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!