Paige Miller: Backstroke/Butterfly/IM
Personal Life:
Paige Miller was born on July 30, 1991 in Toronto, Ontario to parents Albert and Janet Miller. She attended Mayfield Secondary School and swam club for COBRA Swimming. She was a member of 200 and 400 meter medley relays that set Canadian Senior National records, and boasts a victory in the 50 meter butterfly from the 2009 Canada Cup as a high schooler.
College Swimming:
Freshman
Miller took her talents to the United States and found her way to Texas A & M University. She had an immediate and positive impact on the Aggie Program, and rounded out her freshman season with very successful conference and NCAA championship meets. She was a member of the winning 200 yard medley relay and won the 100 yard backstroke (52.43), while also earning 2nd place finishes in the 200 yard freestyle relay, 400 yard medley relay, and 100 yard butterfly (54.82). Miller helped break two school records as a member of both medley relays at NCAA’s, and placed 8th in the A final of the 100 back. She would carry her own school record into her sophomore year.
Sophomore
As a sophomore, Miller continued to post exceptional times. She lowered her 200 yard IM time to 1:56.95, but added over two seconds in finals, finishing 15th overall. She raced to 51.89 in the 100 back prelims, once again breaking the school record. She went on to finish 7th overall in the back. Miller was also a member of the 5th place 200 medley relay and 4th place 400 medley relay.
Junior
Her junior year, Miller once again broke her 100 back record after going 51.55 in prelims of the 100 back at the SEC Championships. Texas A & M had recently moved from the Big 12 Conference to the SEC. She swam 51.62 in finals to take the title. Her backstroke time was an NCAA Automatic ‘A’ cut, as was her 52.07 100 butterfly. She also posted a ‘B’ cut in the 200 IM. Miller climbed to 6th in the 100 back at NCAA’s and put herself into the B final of the 100 fly to finish 14th after missing a finals swim in the fly as an underclassman. She was also a member of the 200 and 400 medley relays, both of which placed 5th overall.
Senior
Miller took her record-smashing habits into her senior year as an Aggie. At the 2013 Art Adamson Invite, she walked away a double champion, after winning both the 100 fly and back in times of 52.37 and 51.36, respectively. Her backstroke time, once again, broke her own school record and earned her an ‘A’ cut. She earned ‘B’ cuts in the 100 fly, 200 IM and 200 backstroke.
A DQ in the 200 IM didn’t seem to faze Miller on day two of the 2014 SEC Championships. She had already swam the fly leg on a 4th place A&M relay in the ferocious SEC, and she had squeezed into the A final of the 100 fly. Her time of 52.99 in finals was a tad faster than her morning swim, however it didn’t move up any places. Day three, which featured the 100 back, was Miller’s big race. She had swam only .10 faster than Georgia Bulldog star freshman Olivia Smoliga in prelims, and finals was even closer. Miller pulled out the big win, dropping down to a new personal best and school record of 50.91 to hold off Smoliga, who was 51.00. She led off the A&M 400 medley in 51.71, not as fast as her individual, but it was still a tenth better than Smoliga, and A&M would go on to win the event.
At the NCAA Champs, the senior helped the 200 and 400 medley relays to 4th and 2nd place finishes, respectively, competed in the 100 fly (but did not final) and 200 back (1oth), and took the 100 back NCAA title. Before getting into her individual 100 back, note that her 50.70 lead-off from finals in the 400 medley relay was a personal best and a new Texas A&M record. Individually, her time of 50.97 was the fastest in prelims– the only one under 51.00. In finals, she felt the heat from Cal’s Cindy Tran and Stanford’s Felicia Lee. The trio finished in a bunch, in 50.77, 50.81, and 50.91, with Miller on top, followed by Tran and Lee, respectively. This couldn’t quite eclipse her lead off from the medley relay, but it was still an incredibly impressive swim in its own. Her 100 fly was just off of her time from the SEC Champs, while her 200 back, which she didn’t swim at any big meets during the season, was a 1:52.84 (personal best/school record).
National/International Swimming:
2012 Canadian Olympic Trials
Miller competes for Canada at the national/international level, and swam at the 2012 Canadian Olympic Trials. She raced in the 100 meter butterfly (1:01.06), 100 meter backstroke (1:03.08), and 200 meter individual medley (2:19.84). After missing the Canadian Olympic team, Miller competed at the 2012 US Open. She finished 16th in the 100 fly, going 1:01.49 in prelims, which was just off her Canadian Trials swim. Her 1:03.96 in the 100 backstroke was not far from her Trials time either, however she did not post a fast enough time for a second swim in that.
2013 Canadian World Championships
Despite not achieving a best time in the 2013 long course season in her 200 IM, Miller continued to chip away at her 100 fly and 100 back times. She touched the wall at 1:02.36 in her backstroke at the 2013 Canadian World Championships Trials, and finished 1:00.96 in her butterfly.
2013 Speedo Sectional Championships
She ended up going 1:00.48 in the fly at the Speedo Sectional Championships (Southern Zone) several months later to edge closer to breaking the 1:00 barrier.
2014 Canadian Trials
Miller competed at the 2014 Canadian Trials, where she finished 3rd in the 50 back (28.56/28.62p), 10th in the 100 back (1:02.76/1:02.72p), and 13th in the 100 fly (1:02.18/1:01.64p). She also competed in the 50 fly, but dropped it from her finals schedule, probably to rest up for the 100 back which was the same session. Miller was been incredibly close to making the Canadian national team in the 50 back– she was first after prelims, and just .04 from second place in finals, which could have gotten her a bid to the 2014 Commonwealth Games and/or 2014 Pan Pacs.
Originally developed by Karl Ortegon
