Miranda Miller has just completed an historic season for the CSU Bakersfield track and field team.

On Thursday, the 2019 Sierra High graduate competed in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds at University of Arkansas’ John McDonnell Field, placing 20th out of 46 in the pole vault. She came short of a berth to the NCAA Championships, which goes to the athletes with top-12 marks in each of the West and East preliminaries.

Miller cleared two heights at 12 feet, 6 inches and 12-11 ¾ but missed all three attempts at 13-5 ¾.

A redshirt sophomore, Miller was named Big West Conference Field Athlete of the Field and is the first female from CSU Bakersfield to earn the distinction at the Division I level. She’s the Big West pole vault champion, setting the conference, conference championships and school records with a vault of 14-1 ¼ May 13 at UC Davis.

Miller is also CSUB’s first woman to win a conference title and qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries at the Division I level. She won the pole vault at nine different meets this season, never placed worse than second and broke her own school record five times.

In addition, Miller represents CSUB as its female Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a 3.93 GPAA. She majors in kinesiology.

Miller has accomplished much in her short career in the sport. After a knee injury ended her gymnastics career, she started track as a junior at Sierra and qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships in the triple jump. She returned to the state meet the following year in the triple jump and pole vault and left the school with program records in both events as well as the long jump.

Miller’s first year at CSU Bakersfield was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic after she was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference indoor team. She excelled in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, finishing third in the Big West Championships and earning the ROWDYs Newcomer of the Year award.