Saginaw Valley State University Athletics will be releasing a series of student-athlete spotlights, which will feature some of our Cardinal senior student-athletes from the 2019-20 academic year. Stay tuned to www.svsucardinals.com to get to know our SVSU seniors a bit more.
Next up in our series is Women's Tennis student-athlete Maddie Miller. Miller has been a standout for the Cardinals the past four seasons, with the past two seeing her play at the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles spots. The native of White Lake, Michigan has been named to the All-GLIAC Second Team the past three seasons as well. She has posted 66 career victories in dual matches over her career, mainly being played at the 1-2 spots in the lineup.
Maddie's favorite spot on campus is Founders Hall. She is a mathematics major for teacher certification and is set to graduate in December 2020. She aspires to teach on the west side of the state as a middle school math teacher.
Miller's favorite memories while competing for Saginaw Valley were cheering on her teammates during the matches, the crazy van rides (especially the long ones home from Michigan Tech), being part of not only a team but a team that felt like family, and the spring break trips. Another fond memory is when her and doubles partner Shea Donahue were nationally ranked in her sophomore year.
Outside of tennis, Maddie loves to read, saying "there are so many different stories out there and anything is possible in a book." One of her hidden talents is that she can pogo stick and play the recorder.
Maddie's favorite road trip was on one of the long trips back from Michigan Tech. The team didn't get back until around 1:00 a.m. and they all started going stir crazy. It gave her some of the funniest memories she has.
SVSU Women's Tennis Head Coach Ryan Ruzziconi on Maddie Miller...
"Maddie has made a tremendous impact on the tennis program, not only on the court, but most importantly, through her leadership and intangibles. Maddie has represented SVSU with class, respect, and sportsmanship in her matches and has been an example for her teammates. It is athletes like Maddie that push a program forward to heights not seen, as their legacy lives on in the players coming behind her. I am proud and grateful to have coached Maddie. To quote the author Le Guin, "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end."
