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Olympic medalist Randi Miller named head wrestling coach at Texas Woman's University
by Texas Woman's University
DENTON, Texas - 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller, a true pioneer in the sport of women's wrestling, has been named as the inaugural head coach of the Texas Woman's University wrestling program, Director of Athletics Sandee Mott announced on Wednesday.
"I am thrilled to have Randi join Pioneer athletics," said Mott. "She is exactly the leader we were looking for to build a nationally competitive team. Coach Miller is well respected at all levels of wrestling and she has the credentials to launch our program on a solid foundation. It is exciting to bring her back to Texas where she can pull from her vast experiences in the sport as a competitor and a coach to provide quality student-athletes experiences for collegiate women's wrestlers."
A native of Arlington, Miller became the first Texan as well as the first Black woman to earn a medal in the Olympics at the Beijing Olympics - and was the only Black woman to win an Olympic medal for USA Wrestling until fellow Texan Tamyra Mensah-Stock captured gold this week.
A 2014 U.S. World Team Member, Miller earned a 2014 Military World Championship. She also competed on the U.S. Senior National Team in 2008 and from 2012-16, and was the 2008 and 2014 U.S. Senior National Champion. She earned 10 U.S. Senior Level All-America honors and was named the 2008 USA Wrestling female wrestler of the year.
Miller began her competitive wrestling career in high school but rose through the ranks quickly, beating 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann at the 2008 Olympic Trials before taking her sole loss to four-time Olympic gold medalist Kaori Icho of Japan. Miller then topped multiple-time World champion Martine Degrenier of Canada to capture her bronze medal.
Miller moved from competition into coaching, with stints at Missouri Baptist, MacMurray College and Limestone College as an assistant coach, while also serving as South Carolina USA Wrestling Women's Director since 2018 and also serving in the U.S. Army National Guard in the World Class Athletic Program, a program designed to allow top-ranked soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their country in the military.
Most recently, Miller served as an assistant coach on the 2021 Team USA Cadet World Team in Budapest, Hungary, as the team captured its first-ever freestyle team title on the strength of three individual championships. The team finished with seven total medals, three gold and four bronze. Every wrestler that made a medal match won their final bout.
After her wildly successful career as a competitor and a similarly rapid ascent through the coaching ranks, Miller will lead a Pioneers wrestling program that is scheduled to begin competition in the 2022-23 academic year.
"I would like to thank the administration at Texas Woman's University for this opportunity," said Miller. "After a long wrestling journey, I am so excited to bring what I've learned back home."
"I am thrilled to have Randi join Pioneer athletics," said Mott. "She is exactly the leader we were looking for to build a nationally competitive team. Coach Miller is well respected at all levels of wrestling and she has the credentials to launch our program on a solid foundation. It is exciting to bring her back to Texas where she can pull from her vast experiences in the sport as a competitor and a coach to provide quality student-athletes experiences for collegiate women's wrestlers."
A native of Arlington, Miller became the first Texan as well as the first Black woman to earn a medal in the Olympics at the Beijing Olympics - and was the only Black woman to win an Olympic medal for USA Wrestling until fellow Texan Tamyra Mensah-Stock captured gold this week.
A 2014 U.S. World Team Member, Miller earned a 2014 Military World Championship. She also competed on the U.S. Senior National Team in 2008 and from 2012-16, and was the 2008 and 2014 U.S. Senior National Champion. She earned 10 U.S. Senior Level All-America honors and was named the 2008 USA Wrestling female wrestler of the year.
Miller began her competitive wrestling career in high school but rose through the ranks quickly, beating 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann at the 2008 Olympic Trials before taking her sole loss to four-time Olympic gold medalist Kaori Icho of Japan. Miller then topped multiple-time World champion Martine Degrenier of Canada to capture her bronze medal.
Miller moved from competition into coaching, with stints at Missouri Baptist, MacMurray College and Limestone College as an assistant coach, while also serving as South Carolina USA Wrestling Women's Director since 2018 and also serving in the U.S. Army National Guard in the World Class Athletic Program, a program designed to allow top-ranked soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their country in the military.
Most recently, Miller served as an assistant coach on the 2021 Team USA Cadet World Team in Budapest, Hungary, as the team captured its first-ever freestyle team title on the strength of three individual championships. The team finished with seven total medals, three gold and four bronze. Every wrestler that made a medal match won their final bout.
After her wildly successful career as a competitor and a similarly rapid ascent through the coaching ranks, Miller will lead a Pioneers wrestling program that is scheduled to begin competition in the 2022-23 academic year.
"I would like to thank the administration at Texas Woman's University for this opportunity," said Miller. "After a long wrestling journey, I am so excited to bring what I've learned back home."