Chipola's Miller Signs with Montevallo

Chipola College cross country runner Natalya Miller of Wewahitchka has signed to run for the University of Montevallo in Alabama.

Miller will run cross country and also will join the track team to compete in middle and long distance events.

She holds the Chipola school record of 19:52 at the 5K distance, and also has a personal best of 19:40 in an open race, finishing second overall in a field of 30 at the Darton College meet in 2012 and third in 2013.

Miller finished among the top 10 percent of runners in all meets during her two-year career at Chipola and led the Chipola team in the school's first-ever appearance in the NJCAA Division I National Championship in 2012.

"I'd like to thank God for giving me the will to run, and my running partner Cedric Gillette for pushing me to get better," she said. "I also want to thank (Chipola) Coach Rance Massengill for giving me the opportunity to run at Chipola and all of my teammates for helping me move on to the next level."

Massengill said: "Natalya brought passion to the sport at a time when we needed to take the program to the next level. She helped push the other girls, and her performance raises the bar for the type of runner we're looking to recruit."

Miller is planning to major in Exercise Science. She is the daughter of Karen and John Curry of Wewahitchka.

Chipola Athletic Director Dr. Steve Givens, said: "We're very proud of our women's cross country program. The team has improved each year since its inception in 2007. Cross country offers significant participation opportunities for female athletes in our area."