Augustana University Athletics

Her petite stature may have presented no threat to competitors, but Leah Gifford Ohme ran in the shadow of no one. In 1999, she won both the North Central Conference indoor and outdoor 5,00 -meter races.

During her career she earned NCAA All-America recognition for the indoor 3,000-meter run, and the indoor 5,000-meter run. Her cross country achievements included winning the NCC cross country championship in 1998 and 1999. She was also a two-time NCAA cross country All-America – finishing 25th nationally in 1998 and 21st in 1999. She was on top of her game during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In the fall of 1998 she won the NCC cross country title; in the spring of 1999 she set a track record by winning the NCC outdoor title in 17 minutes and 34.37 seconds; and in the winter of 1999 she won the conference indoor 5,000-meter crown.

As for special moments, Ohme found satisfaction in training and competing.
“All of my years at Augie were memorable, so it is difficult to pinpoint something specific. I enjoyed the trips to the meets with my teammates, our daily runs, and cheering for each other. “The race that stands out most in my mind was the 1999 NCC conference championship. It was probably my best race; I felt like I could run forever. In 2000, it was great to train and run side-by-side with my sister, Julie. “Augie is such a supportive community it felt as if everyone was cheering you on and caring about you both academically and athletically. President Wagoner always seemed to make it a point to wish me luck or congratulate me.”

She earned a master’s degree in elementary education from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2004. For the past 12 years she has been employed by the Sioux Falls School District and currently is a special education teacher at Harvey Dunn Elementary. Leah and her husband, Derek Ohme ’01, are the parents of two children, Julia, and Hadley.