Michigan State University Athletics
Leah O'Connor-Falland Set to be Inducted into MSU Hall of Fame
9/10/2026 5:34:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
Alongside five other athletes from across six decades and one championship coach, track & field and cross country All-American Leah O'Connor-Falland will be inducted into the Michigan State State Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend.
In addition to O'Connor-Falland, the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 includes Lindsay Bowen (women's basketball), Dan Currie (football), Tico Duckett (football/men's track & field), Walt Drenth (men's and women's cross country and track & field), Sue Latter-Addison (women's track & field/Cross country) and Kalin Lucas (men's basketball).ÂThe Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Celebration will take place on Friday, Sept. 11.There will also be a special recognition of the 2026 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class during the Michigan State-Eastern Michigan football game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, located in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, opened on Oct. 1, 1999, and displays plaques of the 193 previous inductees. The charter class of 30 former Spartan student-athletes, coaches and administrators was inducted in 1992.Â
Leah O'Connor-Falland
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field (2011-15)
Croswell, Mich.
n the cross country trail, indoor or outdoor track, there wasn't a race that Leah O'Connor-Falland didn't dominate during her time at Michigan State. Under the guidance of fellow MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductee and former Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Walt Drenth, O'Connor-Falland etched her name in the MSU record books time and time again.
"Without exaggeration, Walt (Drenth) taught me some of the most important lessons of my young adult life, lessons that still echo in my mind more than a decade later," said O'Connor-Falland. "Ironically, one of the greatest was learning to slow down. He taught me to be brave in the face of the unknown, to embrace discomfort, to trust the process, and to remember to breathe. Those things sound simple, but they're not. Above all, he taught me that asking for help isn't a weakness, it's part of becoming the best version of yourself. His legacy extends far beyond the years we spent together, but I'm incredibly proud to be inducted alongside him and to celebrate the impact he's had on generations of athletes."
In the fall of 2014, O'Connor-Falland helped lead the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA National Championship in women's cross country and their second-straight Big Ten Championship. Named the Big Ten Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, O'Connor-Falland saved arguably the best performance of her MSU career at the conference championship race, as the three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (2012-2014) shattered her career-best mark in the 6K with a time of 19:26.30 to finish first overall. O'Connor-Falland was also named the Great Lakes Region Women's Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Michigan State women's athlete to win the award since Emily MacLeod in 2009 and 2010, after taking first place at the regional meet and helping MSU to a first-place showing. O'Connor-Falland completed her unforgettable cross country season by earning All-America honors after placing 17th at the NCAA Championships, as the Spartans won the NCAA title with 85 points, the lowest point total since 2008.
One of O'Connor-Falland's top accomplishments was being the only woman to win the Big Ten 3000m steeplechase title four-straight years. She also captured first-team outdoor All-American honors three-straight years (2013-15, plus second team honors in 2012) and first-team indoor All-American honors in both 2014 and 2015.
During the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championship held in East Lansing, O'Connor-Falland captured her fourth-straight Big Ten 3,000-meter steeplechase championship with a time of 9:51.38, becoming the conference's first-ever four-time champion in the event. At the time, she was the first Spartan track athlete to win four Big Ten titles in the same event since Odessa Smalls won the 200-meter dash from 1984-87. The Spartans won their first Big Ten Championship since 1982 with 128 points with O'Connor-Falland scoring 30 points on her own.
In the same championship, O'Connor-Falland also went on to claim her second career titles in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races. The three conference championships brought her career total to 10, the second-most in program history, earning her Big Ten Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Athlete of the Championships honors.
She was also named the Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Year and Championships in 2015 after winning the women's mile run with a meet record time of 4:32.29. She went on to win the mile run at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 14, posting the fastest time (4:27.18) in NCAA Championships history and breaking her own school record. Her NCAA record stood until 2024.Â
"Those big wins are incredible. In the moment, you try to be a sponge and soak up as much of the joy as you can. You celebrate, and then it's back to work," said O'Connor-Falland. "What I remember most are the people and the discipline: the icy rush of running through blizzards in East Lansing, eerie early morning long runs in the dark and gathering every weekday at 3 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.
"I was lucky to have teammates who shared that sense of adventure. We were willing to show up every day with no guarantee that any of it would pay off because we genuinely enjoyed being in it together. Looking back, I'm just filled with gratitude. It was a special place, at a special time."
Throughout her Spartan career, she accumulated several awards, including being the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Athletes of the Year in both 2015.
She made it very clear that she did not reach these peaks alone. It took a village to help her climb to the top of the mountain.
"First and foremost, my family. I grew up as one of six kids, surrounded by an incredible extended family who always believed in me and gave me the confidence to chase big dreams" said O'Connor-Falland. "I'm also deeply grateful to my teammates and coaches at Michigan State. Success in a sport that looks so individual is never really individual. Every workout, every race, every difficult season is carried by the people around you. I especially want to thank Kim McGreevy and Lisa Breznau. They invested in me not just as an athlete, but as a person, and that kind of belief has a lasting impact.
"One of the biggest things sport has taught me is that we aren't simply the product of talent or toughness. We become who we are because of the people who nurture us, challenge us, and refuse to let us give up on ourselves. No one gets very far alone, and I feel incredibly fortunate for the community that carried me along the way."
After retiring from competitive running, Falland chose a change of pace by moving to Australia with her husband.
"Life has taken me a long way from East Lansing. I now live in the Barossa Valley in South Australia with my husband and our three-year-old son, River," said O'Connor-Falland. "Like many former athletes, I've had to rediscover who I am beyond competition. These days I work in marketing, spend my spare time renovating our 1950s home, caring for a growing collection of animals, tending a small orchard, and chasing after a very adventurous little boy.
"Australia has given me a slower pace of life and a new perspective. A recent diagnosis of endometriosis reminded me that, while running will always be part of who I am, it may not have been the kindest career for my long-term health. These days, success is measured less by finish lines and more by time with the people I love."
