April 26, 2010
By Brittany Dixon
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Samantha Miller has made the dean's list or president's honor roll for seven semesters during her time at UCF. She has also been part of UCF's varsity eight rowing squad, which has already totaled six victories so far this season.
The senior, who is majoring in Health Sciences, says she would not have been able to have such accomplishments without her faith.
"I really could not have done this without God," Miller said.
Miller has played soccer since she was five years old and ran cross country in high school. She began rowing after she came to UCF, with no knowledge of the sport.
"I came to UCF because it was far enough away from home but not too far," Miller said. "My mom encouraged me to check out the rowing program and I loved it. The coaches were so positive and the girls were so nice so I stuck around."
She started with the Knights' novice rowing squad her freshman year and earned first place in the novice eight event at the Rollins Spring Break race. She also won the second novice eight title at the SIRA Championship in 2007 with her team.
Last season, Miller rowed for the second varsity eight squad and received fourth place honors in the finals at the South/Central Regional Championship.
Miller wants the 2010 season to be even better. She hopes to win the first Conference USA championship this year and defeat Alabama in every race on Saturday.
"I also want all of our boats to be in the Grand Finals at the South/Central Championship," Miller said. "It would get us a bid to the NCAA championship."
Miller and the Knights have been preparing for the second half of their season and the upcoming home regatta by practicing the parts of their races that have not been as fast.
"We swept Duke last year," Miller said. "We want to protect our house and sweep the races again this year."
Miller graduates next weekend and is going to graduate school in Alabama to become a physician's assistant and do orthopedic surgery.
"I'll miss my teammates when I graduate," Miller said. "I love our team dynamic. We've had a lot of coaching changes and the one thing that stayed constant was the girls. If you don't have people that inspire you, you don't go faster."
Miller and the Knights compete at home Saturday on Lake Pickett.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.