2018 Female Athlete of the Year Finalists: Mindy Miles (Rifle)

Mindy Miles came into TCU Rifle like a wrecking ball. Since 2014, she’s been making a name for herself in the world of NCAA Rifle, but she’s been a top name in the sport for even longer. In 2012 and 2013, she won the Texas Junior Olympic titles for both smallbore and air rifle, with a 2013 air rifle title, as well. She took silver in the Junior Olympics for air rifle, and bronze for smallbore. She won Junior Olympics bronze in 2014 and was a World Cup Finalist that same year.

Once she arrived at TCU, Miles’ success only continued. She’s had multiple perfect scores (600), and her season averages have risen each year. As a freshman, her averages were 582 (smallbore) and 591 (air rifle), and she scored 593+ in 7 of the 14 matches in which she participated. As a sophomore she averaged 594 in air rifle, and scored 592+ in 12 of her 14 matches. As a junior, she she led the nation with an average of 596.52 in air rifle, and she scored a 599 in Alaska. She totaled 594+ points in 13 matches and finished 4th at the NCAA Championship.

Finally, as a senior, she ended her career with the team’s third Patriot Rifle Conference Championship title in both events, with a team score of 4,697 points. The team took 3rd at the NCAA Championships last March, with Miles taking 1st place in air rifle (251.9 points) and 3rd in smallbore (441.4). Miles was TCU Athlete of the Week in February 2018, and she received multiple honors throughout her career, including being a 2018 1st Team All-American in both events. At the end of the season, she ranked 2nd nationally in air rifle, with an average a 597.4, and she ranked 7th nationally in smallbore, with an average of 583.7. She also received the 2016 NCAA Sportsmanship Award.

TCU Rifle couldn’t have asked for a better representative for both the sport and the school than Mindy Miles. That’s why she’s a Finalist for our 2018 Female Athlete of the Year Award.