Born and raised in the small farming town of Croswell, Michigan, Leah Falland (O’Connor) was competitive from an early age. Surrounded by a sporty family, Leah played basketball and volleyball, before committing to running full time and landing a spot in the track and cross-country team at Michigan State University. While there, she won two NCAA titles, was the captain on the 2014 NCAA cross-country national championship team and won over a dozen big ten championship titles.