By Staff
BIG RAPIDS – Senior guard Erin Miller, Niles, was recently selected as the recipient of the school's 21st annual Helen Bennett Award for outstanding female student-athlete.
Miller was a member of the 2006-07 Ferris State University womens' basketball team.
The award, which is named in honor of late university faculty member Helen Bennett, is sponsored annually by the Ferris Professional Women's (FPW) organization to a female senior student-athlete combining performance both in the classroom and athletics. Bennett was the wife of longtime FSU golf and track coach Norm Bennett (1956-71), who began the award in her memory and was later inducted into the Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
He directed the building of FSU's Katke Golf Course and Ewigleben Ice Arena along with being instrumental in forming the nation's first Professional Golf Management program at Ferris State.
Miller is the fourth member with ties to the FSU women's basketball program to earn the award, joining Sandy Davison (1986-87), Karen Kramer (1987-88) and Molly Potvin (2003-04).
Miller received the squad's Hardest Worker Award during the 2006-07 campaign. The 2003-04 NCAA Division II Kodak/WBCA All-America Team Finalist was Ferris' third-leading scorer (11.1) this season and compiled 107 assists despite missing the final four games due to injury. Miller finished her career listed second on the school's career scoring list with 1,580 points while both her 184 career made three-pointers and 39.6 percent (184-465) shooting effort behind the three-point arc also rank second in Bulldog history. The two-time (2003-04 and 2005-06) All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) First Team selection posted 13 double-figure scoring outings this season and placed third among the GLIAC's overall leaders in assist/turnover ratio (1.55) along with sixth in assists (3.96) this campaign. She was named to both the GLIAC All-Academic Team and the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Second Team in 2006-07.
Miller ranked as FSU's leading scorer (14.7) in 2005-06 and was listed among the GLIAC's overall statistical leaders in nine different categories. She compiled 19 double-figure scoring outings last campaign and became the 12th player in school history to register 1,000th career points.
Miller was recognized as a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV honoree, picked up GLIAC North Division First-Team recognition along with Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region Second-Team honors last year.
Miller returned in 2005-06 after missing all but the first two games of the 2004-05 campaign due to injury. She previously reached double-figure scoring in 28 of her 31 contests in 2003-04 and ranked as the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer (17.0). Miller was the recipient of the GLIAC's 2002-03 Freshman of the Year Award after being the team's third-highest scorer (12.5) in her initial season.
The 2003-04 Verizon Academic All-District IV Third Team and GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree also attained first-team Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Great Lakes Region and All-GLIAC North Division honors along with being among 40 finalists for the NCAA Division II Kodak/WBCA All-America Team during the 2003-04 campaign.
Ferris State, which advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history this season, was ranked 25th nationally in the final 2006-07 USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll. FSU posted a school-record 23 wins (23-9) this campaign while advancing to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championship Game for the first time. The Bulldogs, who suffered a 79-69 loss to Drury (Mo.) in the regional final (March 12) at Romeoville, Ill., recorded back-to-back wins in their first two national tournament games en route to the regional runner-up finish. Prior to this year, Ferris had never won a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Ferris also compiled a second-place tying 13-5 GLIAC regular-season finish and earned the program's eighth consecutive GLIAC Tournament bid in head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk's ninth season at the helm.
FPW is a university organization which encourages and promotes women by providing opportunities to consider and act on common interests and issues. Active membership is open to persons employed at Ferris State University, their spouses and retirees.