Fifth-Year Senior Looks Back on Steady Progress at Division 2 Program in Ohio With Final Meets Approaching   

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Photo courtesy Tyler Stotsky/Walsh Athletics

As a high school senior in a small Ohio town, Alexa Leppelmeier knew she wanted something better, but not necessarily bigger.

From the small town of Pettisville – population 550 – Leppelmeier found a new home across the state at Walsh University (North Canton, Ohio) – a Division 2 program she was drawn to because of the opportunity it presented: Come grow with us. 

“The team atmosphere is what got me to come here,” she said. “I was looking at schools where the program was getting better and progressing; I wanted to go No. 5 or No. 6, not No. 1. I was from a small school from Ohio, and I wanted to be in a competitive program, and I definitely saw that at Walsh.”

The team has become more consistent and competitive, and so has Leppelmeier.

As a fifth-year senior for the Cavaliers, she’s improved each year, and now Leppelmeier – recently named the Great Midwest Runner of the Year – heads into the NCAA Midwest Regional at Angel Mounds in Evansville, Ind. on Saturday with the opportunity to win her first regional title. 

“Over the years, it seems every year, someone has stepped up and now it's her turn,” Walsh head coach Rob Mizicko said. “After a great progression after the last five years, she’s worked her way to the top and it’s very exciting, but it’s all on her. She has an unbelievable work ethic and she’s very competitive.”

Growing up in a basketball family, Leppelmeier found her calling through running. Her mom, Amy Leppelmeier, ran in college at Heidelberg University (Tiffin, Ohio), and put her daughter in fun runs from an early age. 

“Throughout junior high and high school running was my thing. My family is a basketball family, so it’s kind of weird,” Leppelmeier said. “(But) I felt the most comfortable being a runner, and I was good at it.”

At Pettisville High, along with cross country, she competed in everything from the 400 meters to the 3,200. As a senior, she placed second in the 1,600 (5:04.24) and was top 10 in the 3,200 (11:25.21) at the Ohio Division 3 state meet.

Arriving at Walsh, both Mizicko and Leppelmeier explained her first year was spent in transition, getting used to higher mileage, new expectations, and being part of a competitive atmosphere. Leppelemier said having an individual like Sarah Berger – an eight-time All-American in track and field and the 2017 NCAA Division 2 Cross Country Championships runner-up – was a huge influence on her development. 

With her athletic background and desire to get better, Leppelemier has seen her 5K and 6K times on the cross country course get faster each season, dropping nearly two minutes overall to a personal best of 21:06.9. 

“It’s experience, staying healthy, and just doing the things she needed to do,” Mizicko said. “She wasn’t a high mileage kid, but everything that we do has helped develop to where she is now. It’s fun to work with her because she’s so athletic, and when you have athletic kids that are going to put the work in, you see results.”

What’s also made the process fun for Leppelmeier is adding the steeplechase to her resume. A “weird event,” as she describes it, the steeple has become a perfect fit for her competitive persona and natural athleticism. Last spring, she won the Great Midwest Outdoor steeplechase title in 10:20.66, and followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division 2 Championships. 

“There’s a different challenge to the race where you kind of don't think, and I love it,” Leppelmeier said. 

Prior to the outdoor season, she finished seventh in the 3,000 (9:32.98) at the Division 2 Indoor Championships. 

That strong 2021 track season has set her up for her best cross country season to date. She opened up in early September at the Tommy Evans Invitational, clocking 17:41.4, the sixth-best 5,000-meter time in conference history. Since then, she’s continued to impress. On Sept. 17 at the All Ohio Championships at Cedarville University, she was third behind Division 1 athletes Beth Arentz of Akron and Carmen Riano of Miami (Ohio), and followed that up with a third-place finish at the Lock Haven University Invitational/Open, again, up against Division I runners. Most recently, she won the Greater Midwest Regional title in 21:19.7.

Leppelmeier said she put in more miles, lifted more in the weight room, and trained more thoughtfully during the pandemic. That's been revealed in her improvement. 

“I think my progression has definitely been trusting the coach's training and that extra year due to COVID has helped,” she said. “I’m getting aerobically stronger, more miles, and it’s a big jump this year with focusing on the little things.”

Mizicko said Leppelmeier has become a team leader by example. Her constant, relentless approach to the sport speaks louder than her words. 

“She just fights to the very end of the race,” Mizicko said. “She doesn't give up. She's got some fight in her and she’s not going to give up, she’s got too much pride.”

Along with running, Leppelmeier has managed to take on a full-time work schedule.

Graduating last year with an Early Childhood Intervention Specialist degree, she works as a long-term substitute teacher at Watson Elementary School in Massillon, Ohio. Leppelmeier already has her teaching license and is adding her Reading Endorsement to it, which has made her eligible for her fifth year of competing. While it’s a busy day, having another passion is something that keeps her balanced. 

“I love it. I work in kindergarten through fourth grade, each group for 40 minutes at a time, and they are a bunch of characters; a little crazy, but they are fun. They always ask me how I did in my meets and they wanted me to bring my medal in,” Leppelmeier said. “I just enjoy teaching so much.”

Now, heading in the postseason, Leppelmeier has a few more opportunities in the next few weeks to bring in another medal to show her students. As the leader of her team, the No. 1, it’s a position that is still a little mind-blowing to think about for the small-town runner. But it's what Leppelmeier was looking for all along. 

“I would never have thought that I would be in this position,” she said. “It’s kind of crazy but really fun. The last time I was at the NCAA Championships, I was 85th or something. For me, I just have to put myself in the race from the beginning and see what I can do.”