On Nov. 12, Kailey Miller committed to the gymnastics program at Central Michigan University, a Division I school located in Mt. Sterling, Michigan.

“Signing takes a lot of pressure off of me,” said Miller.  “I’m happy I will be able to relax a little more this year knowing that I already have a place on a team.”

This signing came after a verbal commitment that occurred late in July.  To Miller, CMU stood out among offers from several schools, such as Illinois University, University of Kentucky, University of Missouri, Ball State University, and North Carolina State.  In terms of what made CMU different from other schools, Miller cites their staff and coaching style in addition to the beautiful campus and a talented team of athletes.  Last season, for example, the Central Michigan gymnastics team finished 19th nationally and had 11 student-athletes earn Scholastic All-America honors from the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women.

During an interview discussing the upcoming season, CMU Coach Jerry Reighard spoke highly of Miller.

“Miller is a Junior Olympic qualifier so she knows what it’s all about,” he said.  “We just saw great potential in her and are really banking on the fact that she’s going to continue on the learning curve and be a typical senior gymnast.”

In addition to Miller, CMU has signed just four other gymnasts to their class of 2015 – one from Michigan, one from Wisconsin, one from Pennsylvania, and one from Georgia.

“We’ve been pretty methodical in selecting this class; we’ve been all over the nation looking at kids.  We think it’s going to be a really dandy year for us,” said Reighard.

Along with competing, Miller is considering a degree in animal science or biology.  After college, she plans on pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.