Miller sets history with Big Ten award

By Paul Day (Last updated: 08/28/09 5:48pm) MSU junior goaltender Ryan Miller continued his reign as college hockey’s poster boy by earning Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year distinction Tuesday.

Miller is the first male Spartan to win the award in its 20-year existence. Only two MSU female athletes have taken the honor - track athlete Judi Brown in 1983 and diver Julie Farrell-Ovenhouse in 1991.

Winning the conference award adds another chapter to the Hobey Baker Award-winning goalie’s history-making success at MSU. Miller is only the second athlete in Big Ten history to win the award while playing a non-Big Ten sanctioned sport - the first being Penn State fencer Ogla Kalinovskaya in 1996.

“I didn’t hear much about a hockey player ever winning it,” Miller said Tuesday at Munn Ice Arena. “And obviously, they haven’t. It’s pretty amazing. There’s a lot of sports and a lot of great athletes (in the Big Ten) and it’s really flattering.”

Winner of the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year award was Purdue basketball guard Katie Douglas.

Miller had to beat every male athlete in every varsity sport at all 11 universities in the conference to win the award. Knowing that, the East Lansing native said it adds to the mystique of earning such an honor.

“You see the caliber of athlete that goes into Big Ten football and basketball and all the different sports that are involved in the Big Ten,” he said. “It’s amazing how many great athletes there are and it makes it just extra special.”

Miller was only the second-ever goaltender to win college hockey’s Hobey Baker Award, in addition to being named USA Hockey’s College Player of the Year, the CCHA Player of the Year and a member of the U.S. National Team at last month’s World Championships.

He posted a 1.32 goals against average, a 31-5-4 record and an NCAA-record .950 saves percentage last season and broke the 70-year-old record for career shutouts with his 18th in February.

He said he enjoys the accolades, but individual awards aren’t at the top of his priority list. He hopes he’ll be able to have the same success next year.

“On one side, I’m happy how the year went for myself and the team and at the same time, I’m going to have to learn how to handle this next year,” Miller said. “So it’s going to be like a new experience this next year. I definitely have a lot to learn.

“But I think after my freshman year, I thought I did really well and I had to follow that up, so hopefully I can come full circle and do it again.”

Miller said one clear goal is to lead MSU to NCAA championship glory - the squad came close this year, before bowing out in the Frozen Four.

Meanwhile, The George Alderton MSU Athletes of the Year were named Tuesday - to little surprise, Miller took home the male award.

Junior diver Summer Mitchell received the women’s honors by earning All-American status in the 1- and 3-meter boards at the NCAA Championships.

Women’s soccer senior Ann Cieszkowski earned the Chester Brewer Leadership Award, while Deb White, senior field hockey captain, was awarded the Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award.

The Big Ten Conference handed out Medals of Honor to women’s junior diver Carly Weiden and 2001 graduate and football offensive lineman Shaun Mason.

Paul Day can be reached at daypaul@msu.edu.

Originally Published: 06/27/01 12:00am