Lucas Vance
Staff Writer
WINNSBORO — Fairfield Central senior Aliyah Miller will take her talents to Claflin University this fall.
Miller is coming off a track season where she earned the gold medal in the state championship in the 100-meters with a time of 12.31. Earning the gold was a culmination of hard work that began when she was 6 years old.
While attending V.V. Reid Elementary School in Columbia, Miller’s physical education teacher sparked her talent for track.
“Coach Brown wanted me to play basketball because of my speed,” Miller remembered. “But I didn’t know how so I started to run track.”
At age 6, Miller began to run track in a recreational league and continued each summer until she started to run for Fairfield Central High School as a seventh-grader. Aliyah was the centerpiece of the 4 x 100-meter relay team that qualified for the state championship in her seventh, eighth and ninth grade years.
The summer of 2012 was a memorable one for Aliyah, because her AAU team (Jumpstart Ahtletics) was named All-Americans and earned third place at the national level. After that, she set her sights on earning a gold medal in the 100-meter.
Aliyah’s dream came true May 11 in the SCHSL state championships.
“When I crossed that finish line I knew my goal had been accomplished,” she stated. “I was just so overjoyed that I couldn’t do anything but cry.”
It was an emotional moment for Aliyah and she immediately gave thanks to God, her parents and coaches Cedrick Simpson, Melissa Howard and Greg Wright and a special thanks to Bennie Isaac, her AAU coach.
During the past seven years, Aliyah has earned all-region honors in the 100-meter and 200-meter race. Now with a state title under her belt, she has put high school in her rearview mirror to switch her focus to the fall of 2013, where she will attend Claflin University in Orangeburg.
The student-athlete will major in education and following graduation hopes to return to Fairfield Central High School with aspirations to become the track coach. Aliyah knows her accomplishments would not have been possible without the help of those around her.
“I just want to thank the entire community and all those that have believed and supported me,” she noted. “I will forever show gratitude for their assistance and I look forward to a successful collegiate career at Claflin.”
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