Lily Miller: Off to a Running Start

You could say that Lily Miller hit the ground running. When her father took her to a track meet when she was in elementary school, something clicked inside her and she decided to take it up. “I started running when I was about eight or nine, and I always loved it,” she says. “I’ve been running ever since.”

And even though she has only been competing since 2005 when she was displaced by Katrina, she has accumulated an impressive set of awards and records. She smashed school records in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter race and the long jump.  She has also won a pile of trophies, with 12 district titles, 9 regional titles, 4 state runner-ups, and 5 state championship wins.

Mark Faliveno, who has been coaching Lily since her freshmen year, knows how great an athlete she is. “She is an amazing talent,” he says. “She has an incredible work ethic — she practices hard every single day — that’s why she has the number of titles she has.” He also refuses to take any credit for her success. “All I do is write the workouts,” he says, adding, “it’s 100 percent her.”

And Coach Faliveno is not the only one who sees her ability and potential. Both Tulane and Rhodes College expressed interest in her. But it was ultimately Princeton that she decided on. And rather than going for a college that was interested in her as an athlete, she and her family toured schools that interested her and made a choice for the combination of academic and athletic opportunities.

Even though her high school days are coming to an end, Lily’s accomplishments are just beginning. Faliveno has nothing but optimism for her college journey in both academics and sports. “In terms of her career at Princeton, the sky’s the limit” he says. “As a sprinter she’s going to be tremendous, tremendous.”

Princeton is getting a great student and a phenomenal athlete. We are sorry that the Newman chapter of her story is coming to a close, but happy for her and her bright future.


Lily’s Career Best Times/Marks
100 meter dash – 12.09 (LHSAA State Championships 2009) – School Record
200 meter dash – 24.80 (LHSAA State Championships 2010) – School Record
400 meters – 58.16 (LHSAA State Championships 2010) – School Record
Long Jump – 18’ 7” (Mandeville Skipper Relays 2008) – School Record
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