Ligonier Valley graduate Olivia Miller hits right marks for Carlow indoor track

When it comes to running, Olivia Miller used to keep things at a distance.

The multisport athlete from Ligonier Valley participated in cross country, and when she was recruited by the Carlow track and field team for jumping events, her duties included fall tours with the Celtics’ cross country team.

Miller didn’t mind the miles, but when Tony Anderson took over the track and field teams two years ago at Carlow, he didn’t see a distance runner. Anderson saw an athlete capable of competing and excelling in most events.

“She’s athletic,” Anderson said. “Most distance runners don’t have athleticism as much as they have endurance.”

So Anderson proposed a change.

“He said if I wanted to be a jumper, I needed to learn how to be a sprinter,” Miller said. “I was really eager to do it. I always liked distance running. I did it all the way through high school, but it was never my strength.”

Anderson and Miller went to work, and it has led to a strong indoor season for the junior.

The first order of business was changing Miller’s stride. Distance runners typically stride heel to toe. Sprinters stay on their toes. Then, Miller had to learn how to shorten her stride.

“It wasn’t an easy transition,” Anderson said. “But I thought if we could get her quick on her feet, she’d do big things for us.”

How big? Well, Miller earned River States Conference Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honors Feb. 12. It’s part of a string of awards for Miller, who was named RSC Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week four consecutive weeks.

Of. The. Year.
?? @OliviaMillller@CarlowU https://t.co/o8yFN2geq4

— Carlow Celtics (@CarlowCeltics) February 11, 2020

“I didn’t see myself being this successful,” Miller said. “I struggled a lot when I first made the switch, but I’m very happy with the results.”

At the Kent State Doug Raymond Invitational on Feb. 15, Miller placed eighth in the triple jump with a school-record mark of 11.22 meters (36 feet, 8 inches), which hit the NAIA qualifying standard. She topped that mark Saturday at the Kent State Tune-Up with a jump of 11.58 meters (38 feet), good for fifth place.

Miller considers triple jump one of her better events, and she won the event at the RSC Indoor Championships at 10.8 meters. She also placed second in the high jump (1.55 meters), third in the long jump (4.9 meters) and ninth in the shot put (9.6 meters). She also ran the 60 hurdles.

Her diverse abilities make Miller a standout in the indoor pentathlon (60 hurdles, shot put, long jump, high jump, 800), and she placed second (3,059 points) Feb. 1 at the Youngstown State Mid-major Invitational, an event that included Division I and II programs.

She will compete in the event at the NAIA indoor track and field championships March 5-7 in Brookings, S.D.

“If she goes out and does what I think she’s capable of, she’ll come out of the meet an All-American,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had (an All-American) at Carlow. I know we’ve never had one in cross country or track.”

To get there, Miller will work on 800 repeats heading into the big meet, and she will refine her shot put technique — Miller never threw before last year — on the upper floor of St. Agnes Church, an on-campus facility where the indoor teams practice.

“I am really excited at where I’m at right now. All the hard work is paying off,” Miller said. “Usually people do better in outdoor than indoor, so I’m really looking forward to the spring.”