Leah Klenke

College career

Klenke started 78 games and scored 5 goals for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2022 to 2025. In 2022, as a freshman, she joined upperclassmen Eva Gaetino and Waniya Hudson on the back line, helping the Irish lead the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in shutout percentage. In 2023, she led the Irish with 10 assists (fourth in the ACC) to finish second in the conference standings, earning second-team All-ACC honors. Notre Dame earned the overall top seed in the NCAA tournament but were upset in the second round. She made her professional debut in the season opener on March 14, playing the entire match in a 1–0 win over the San Diego Wave. Initially lining up at left back, she played every position in the defensive line and eventually stayed at center back.

International career

Klenke was called into training camp with the United States under-14 team in 2018. She was next called into a combined under-18/under-19 camp in early 2023. Later that year, she played at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, where the United States U-20s secured qualification for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She appeared as a substitute for right back Gisele Thompson in every match at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, helping the United States finish in third place, its best result since 2012. She converted her penalty kick in a shootout win over Germany in the quarterfinals.

Honors and awards

United States U-20 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup bronze medal: 2024

Individual First-team All-American: 2025 First-team All-ACC: 2024, 2025 Second-team All-ACC: 2023 ACC all-freshman team: 2022 ACC tournament all-tournament team: 2025