Adair County High School rookie sprinter Mya Miller will probably run the biggest race of her young competitive career when she represents the Lady Indians this weekend at the Kentucky State High School Track Meet in Lexington.
Miller, who finished third last week at the Region 2 championships in Elizabethtown, posted a blistering time of 50.05 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles. It was good enough to earn an at-large bid to the state meet.
“We had kind of a mixed bag of things to start the year because Mya was running on her own,” said Adair County coach Jamie Bryant. “We don’t have a track, so we were just getting times on her between the hurdles. We knew she had good sprinter speed and she was getting over the hurdles cleanly. So, I knew she had a chance.”
The meet will open Friday at the at the University of Kentucky.
“Mya was like the fifth at-large qualifier, out of 10 taken for each event. And, her time was better than probably half of the automatic qualifiers,” Bryant said. “There is a real legitimate chance for her to medal at state.”
The coach said Miller’s success has not come by chance. She worked diligently over the summer, and trains constantly, he said. Bryant’s advice to her for the meet in Lexington, “just keep doing what you do.”
“I have told her to not get overwhelmed by the moment and we’ve taken steps to try to prepare for that with other big meets during the season,” Bryant said. “We want her to stay within herself. She usually rises to the occasion; she is not one of those athletes that wilt when the competition level gets bigger.
“Mya ran her best time on the biggest stage (region) and I believe she will do it again. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
