For Maddy Miles, especially early in her college career, it was never about winning awards or thinking about what would be next after getting her degree.

For the longest time, the goal was graduating from college in the first place.

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Saying she “struggled” in high school as a C student, Miles entering college was merely happy to be able to continue playing sports while getting a degree, which she earned that opportunity by being recruited to play basketball at Mount Union.

Ten All-America nominations in track and field later, in addition to multiple stellar achievements away from athletics, and Miles is now one of nine finalists (and one of three in Division III) across all divisions for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, of which the winner will be announced at the NCAA Convention on Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.

Maddy Miles Named 2024 @NCAA Woman of the Year finalists! @UMUTFXC #GoMountGo https://t.co/37mPHSxGcn pic.twitter.com/VC9s8B8UvW

— Mount Union Purple Raiders (@purpleraiders) November 20, 2024

It’s safe to say that plans changed over the past few years for Miles, but she’s more than happy that they did.

“When I found out I made the top nine … that was really, really shocking,” Miles, who is using her extra year of eligibility granted to her following the COVID-19 pandemic to run track for the Purple Raiders this year, said. 

“Just being able to be amongst the other women who are nominated in their accomplishments and the way they give back and the way they carry themselves, it means a lot to me. It’s super important to me to be able to be and grow alongside strong women.”

The trajectory of Miles’ career at Mount Union, where her mentality changed from just getting by to making a lasting impact, began to shift once she took some chances.

That first started on the athletic side of things as a freshman, where Miles — who ran track in high school but said she “never really took (it) that seriously” — asked Mount Union’s coaches if she could join the team in the spring following the basketball season. 

Track ended up being her best sport as a Purple Raider. Through her senior season, Miles has secured multiple school records and Ohio Athletic Conference championships (in addition to her All-America honors) as a sprinter specializing in relays and the 400-meter dash. She did it on top of being a basketball player for the school during her freshman and sophomore years, though she began to focus solely on track beginning with her junior year.

She’s felt the love throughout her time at Mount Union, with Miles noting that the small school’s tight-knit community has helped her excel as a record-setting standout.

“It makes me emotional because it’s just crazy that the four years have flown by,” Miles said. “I think that this nomination isn’t just me being nominated, it’s a nomination for the entire community. Just how much Mount Union backs and rallies around its students … we’re really encouraged to push ourselves and be our best selves every day.”

NCAA Woman of the Year finalist and dual-sport @purpleraiders athlete Maddy Miles is grateful for the leadership skills she gained and the people she crossed paths with! 💙#NCAAWOTY | 🔗 https://t.co/pAv11cp9z2 pic.twitter.com/nT6v3HA8ke

— NCAA (@NCAA) January 2, 2025

On top of being a multi-sport athlete, Miles’ little extra free time in an already-busy schedule was then used for more service-related activities away from sports.

Influenced to be involved in making a change after people she knew died by suicide, Miles led the school’s chapter of Active Minds, a student-led organization focused on removing stigmas around mental health. She additionally volunteered locally at a domestic violence shelter while working to earn her degree at Mount Union in biochemistry, which she did last spring with a 3.8 GPA.

On top of it all, Miles was also accepted into a cancer-focused summer undergraduate research program at Case Western Reserve University, where she noted that she was working with other excellent students — including some from Ivy League schools — and spearheading a personal research project on investigating gene silencing and its potential as a cancer therapeutic. 

Miles’ time not spent on the track or in the classroom was often focused on trying to make others' lives a little bit better, and she hopes that those in and around Alliance, Ohio, remember her in that way.

“It’s always been important to me that outside of records and trophies and medals, the way you leave a legacy is the way that you impact others,” Miles said. “I learned that from my grandpa, and I’ve really wanted to just give back to this community."

“There are so many people I feel like I could thank and I think the list would be like over 200 people because it truly has taken a village in my entire community to allow me to even be having this interview right now and be in this position.”

Once her eligibility at Mount Union wraps up following the end of the spring track season, Miles has no plans to stop being involved in either sports or her volunteer-related interests.

Miles aims to become a practicing physician assistant out of college with hopes to focus on pediatric emergency medicine but has long-term aspirations of opening a domestic violence shelter and/or a free clinic in an underserved neighborhood, as well. She also has an interest in moving to the coaching sphere for track or basketball, keeping some ties to athletics in that way.

Regardless of whether or not Miles ends up winning the NCAA Woman of the Year award this week, it won’t diminish the fact that even at a school like Mount Union, which has had its share of stellar student-athletes come through campus over the years, Miles is one of the school’s brightest examples of being someone who took excelling away from sports as seriously as excelling in them.

That in itself already makes for an illustrious resume, but adding an NCAA Woman of the Year title to it would only add to Miles’ already tremendous legacy.

“I’m so thankful for all the other women in my life who have encouraged me and empowered me to be in this position, especially with the female coaches in my life. … I can’t even put it into words, it’s honestly so crazy to me. I honestly still can’t believe it. When I get there (to Nashville), I probably still won’t believe it.”

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