Virginia athletics dedicates a tremendous amount of time and energy to the selection and recruitment of future student-athletes. For senior swimmer Michael Miller, however, it was he who pursued and persuaded the Cavaliers.
From freshman walk-on to captain of the Virginia swimming and diving team, Miller has progressed from a quiet, hardworking and determined athlete to an outgoing, strong and natural team leader.
"It has been fun to watch his development," Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. "At first he was trying to earn a place on the team and now, he is marvelous at bringing the team's feelings to the coaching staff, explaining what the team is thinking and helping the coaches find the right way to motivate the team."
With his strong communication skills, Miller, according to Bernardino, has served as a liaison between athletes and staff, helping to find the common ground both need to build a successful team.
Four years ago, Miller and fellow senior Jake Shrum tried out for Virginia swimming and diving. Having attended swim camp at Virginia since he was nine years old, Miller had already established a relationship with Bernardino. After speaking with the coach in August of his freshman year, Miller began a trial period with the team during which he was under constant observation.
"He was extraordinarily humble and extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team," Bernardino said. "It had everything to do with his dedication, his devotion and his love of team. It had nothing to do with his individual talents or individual well-being -- he just demonstrated that everything he was doing, he was doing for the good of the team."
With a room on the Lawn, Miller has shown dedication to both academics and extracurricular activities. His Politics Honors program requires a paper a week with a senior thesis of 80 to 100 pages, and Miller has spent his summers as a government intern in Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
Miller noted that his swimming experiences have helped him excel in his other areas of interest.
"Swimming makes you focus more -- it's great for time management, you really don't waste a lot of time and focus on the free time you do have," he said. "Being on this team definitely gives you skills that help down the road. It is manageable to do both the academics and athletics."
With graduation nearing, the Rhodes Scholar finalist has already been accepted to law school at Virginia and Duke. If he decides to become a double-Hoo? and if the demands of law school allow it, he may help out with the team next year.
"I would be happy to do whatever Mark needed me to," Miller said.
As for what he feels he has left to accomplish before becoming a Virginia swimming and diving alumnus, Miller said his focus is team unity.
"The closer we are, the more we are swimming for each other and are there for each other, the better chance we have of winning what is going to be a tight ACC Championship meet," Miller said. "I just want to see a 2008 sign up on that conference championship board."
From his efforts to promote unity to his personal dedication to the team, Miller has had a significant impact on the Virginia team, according to Bernardino.
"There are very few walk-on athletes at this level in collegiate swimming and certainly at U.Va.," Bernardino said. "On paper he was not someone that we recruited, but his focus, his intensity, his desire, his drive -- it worked. He has made the most of his opportunity and along the way he has become the voice of the team."
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