Maddy Miles Recognized as 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist
NASHVILLE, TN - University of Mount Union senior Maddy Miles was recognized at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, TN on Thursday for being a top-nine finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The nine finalists consist of three student-athletes from each NCAA division. Each finalist was selected for her outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. Alexandra Turvey from Division III and Pomona College was named the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year, and the top-30 finalists were recognized and celebrated on stage.
As a dual-sport athlete in basketball and track and field, Maddy Miles has thrived on the court, on the track and in the classroom. Miles has earned multiple U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honors and won multiple conference championships in the 400-meter race and various relays, setting a national record and several school records in relay events. Outside athletics, she has led Mount Union's chapter of Active Minds, an organization dedicated to promoting mental health, and volunteered at a local domestic violence shelter, providing support for women and children. She graduated magna cum laude.
While at Mount Union, Miles was accepted into Case Western Reserve's Cancer-focused Summer Undergraduate Research program, where she investigated gene silencing and its potential as a cancer therapeutic. Yet the most transformative part about this experience came from the interpersonal relationships she formed with her advisor.
"I was most enlightened through the relationship I had with my advisor, Ruth Keri," she said. "Ruth provided a platform to represent underserved women of color in research; she pushed me to be curious and inspired me to stay resilient even in the face of failure. Through this I was reminded to work hard for the young women who look like me to believe they could be in STEM too."
Not only did Miles form a strong bond with her mentor, but she also became a mentor to her own teammates. Miles said the relationships she formed with her teammates have created a lasting bond of sisterhood.
"One encounter in particular was with one of my basketball teammates," Miles said. "She had come from an inner-city school and had never used a planner. She reached out to me asking for guidance, and we spent the next 12 hours working through her syllabus and teaching her how to use a planner and stay organized. (Recently), she has made the dean's list. Even these small encounters have stuck with me years later, being able to make a small impact to allow another woman to flourish is what is most meaningful to me."
Congratulations, Maddy!