Wrestlers · Career complete
Randi Miller
2008 Olympic bronze at 63 kg, the first African American woman to medal in Olympic wrestling for the U.S.; 2014 Military World champion
Arlington, TX · Martin HS · Northern Michigan University
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 10, 2026
Randi Miller grew up in Arlington, Texas, and went out for wrestling at Martin High School after she was cut from the basketball team. Texas had sanctioned a girls' state tournament in 1999, so there was already a state championship to wrestle for. She was a state runner-up and graduated in 2001.
She wrestled at Neosho County Community College, MacMurray College and Northern Michigan University, where she trained with the U.S. Olympic Education Center. She reached the senior level in 2004 and won the 2006 Pan American Championships. In 2005 she was Iris Smith's training partner at the World Championships and watched Smith become the first African American woman to win a World wrestling title for the United States.
In April 2008 she won her first U.S. Nationals title in Las Vegas over Sara McMann of the Sunkist Kids, and beat McMann again in two straight matches at the June Olympic Team Trials.
On Aug. 17, 2008 in Beijing she pinned Haiat Farag of Egypt and lost to Kaori Icho of Japan in the quarterfinals. She beat Martine Dugrenier of Canada for the bronze at 63 kg, about 139 pounds. She was the only U.S. woman to win a wrestling medal at those Games, the third American woman to win an Olympic wrestling medal and the first African American woman to win one. USA Wrestling named her its 2008 Women's Wrestler of the Year.
She came back after watching the 2012 Olympics. Wrestling as an Army sergeant in the World Class Athlete Program, she won the 2014 U.S. Open at 69 kg over Veronica Carlson of the New York Athletic Club. She made the U.S. World Team, did not place at the World Championships in Tashkent and won the Military World title in October.
Texas Woman's University hired her in 2021 to build a wrestling program, the Pioneers wrestled their first season in 2022-23, and she still coaches them.
She is the head coach of the wrestling team at Texas Woman's University, the program she started as its first coach in 2021.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | High school | UIL State Championships | 2nd | State runner-up for Martin High School in Arlington; she joined the wrestling team after being cut from basketball and graduated from Martin in 2001 | |
| 2006 | Senior | Pan American Championships | 1st | She began competing at the senior level in 2004 and wrestled most of her career between 63 kg and 69 kg | |
| 2007 | Senior | Dave Schultz Memorial International | 1st | One of three medals she won at the Dave Schultz Memorial International between 2004 and 2008 | |
| 2008 | Senior | Ivan Yarygin International, Russia | 3rd | January 2008; she also took bronze at the Dave Schultz Memorial in Colorado Springs in February and silver at the Medved International in Belarus in March | |
| 2008 | Senior | U.S. Nationals, Las Vegas | 63 kg | 1st | April 2008, her first U.S. Nationals title; she beat 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann of the Sunkist Kids in the final |
| 2008 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Las Vegas | 63 kg | 1st | June 13, 2008 at the Thomas and Mack Center; wrestling for the Gator Wrestling Club she beat Sara McMann (Sunkist Kids) in two straight matches of the best-of-three series, 1-3, 4-0, 2-0 and 1-0, 1-0 |
| 2008 | Senior | Olympic Games, Beijing, China | 63 kg | 3rd | 4-1. Aug. 17, 2008 at Zhongguo Nongye Daxue Tiyuguan; she pinned Haiat Farag (Egypt) in the opening round, lost only to two-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho (Japan) in the quarterfinals, and beat three-time World silver medalist Martine Dugrenier (Canada) in the bronze-medal match. She was the only U.S. woman to win a wrestling medal at those Games and the third U.S. woman to win one at any Olympics, after Sara McMann and Patricia Miranda. USA Wrestling named her its 2008 Women's Wrestler of the Year, announced in June 2009; she wrestled that season for the Gator Wrestling Club as a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. |
| 2014 | Senior | U.S. Open, Las Vegas | 69 kg | 1st | April 19, 2014 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, wrestling for the U.S. Army; she beat Veronica Carlson of the New York Athletic Club 3-1 in the final. USA Wrestling counted it as her second Open title, the first since 2008, and her Texas Woman's bio counts 2008 and 2014 as her two U.S. Senior national titles. |
| 2014 | Senior | World Championships, Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 69 kg | She returned to wrestling after watching the 2012 Olympics and wrestled the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent in September without placing | |
| 2014 | Senior | CISM World Military Wrestling Championship | 69 kg | 1st | The 29th CISM championship at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Oct. 1 to 8, 2014; Army Sgt. Miller went undefeated in the round robin, with Enas Mostafa Yousef of Egypt second. Texas Woman's University says she served in the Army National Guard's World Class Athlete Program, while USA Wrestling says she competed for Army WCAP. |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://www.themat.com/news/2020/july/30/usaw-history-lesson-randi-miller · USA Wrestling history lesson: Miller is a native of Arlington, Texas; she went to Neosho Community College, then MacMurray College, then Northern Michigan University, training with the US Olympic Education Center under Shannyn Gillespie; she began competing at the senior level in 2004 and wrestled most of her career between 63 kg and 69 kg; she won the 2006 Pan American Championships and three Dave Schultz Memorial International medals including gold in 2007; she won the 63 kg spot for Beijing by defeating 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann; the page calls her 'the first, and so far only, African-American female to win an Olympic medal in wrestling'; in Beijing she won four of five matches, losing only to Kaori Icho, and beat Martine Degrenier of Canada for bronze; she competed for Army WCAP, wrestled at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent without placing, and won the World Military Championships a month later; she began coaching at Missouri Baptist in 2010
- https://www.themat.com/news/2009/june/11/randi-miller-named-2008-women--20463 · June 11, 2009 USA Wrestling: Miller named 2008 Women's Wrestler of the Year; bronze at 63 kg/138.75 lbs in Beijing, the only U.S. women's wrestler to medal at those Games and the third U.S. women's wrestler ever to win an Olympic medal, after Sara McMann and Patricia Miranda; four wins in five matches, losing only to two-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho of Japan in the quarterfinals, and beating three-time World silver medalist Martine Dugrenier of Canada for bronze; won the 2008 Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas over McMann in two straight; won her first U.S. Nationals title in Las Vegas in April 2008 over McMann; 2008 medals at the Medved International (silver), Dave Schultz Memorial (bronze) and Ivan Yarygin International (bronze); U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete in 2008; attended Neosho County CC, MacMurray College and Northern Michigan; high school at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas
- https://twuathletics.com/news/2023/5/26/wrestling-randi-miller-inducted-into-arlington-athletics-hall-of-fame.aspx · May 26, 2023: Miller inducted into the Arlington Athletics Hall of Fame at the Tom Vandergriff Night of Champions banquet; she graduated from Martin High School in 2001; she joined wrestling after being cut from the basketball team; she earned the State Runner-Up title in Texas; girls' high school wrestling was sanctioned in Texas in 1999; after Martin she attended Neosho County Community College, MacMurray College and Northern Michigan University
- https://twuathletics.com/staff-directory/randi-miller/175 · Texas Woman's University staff bio: Miller joined TWU as the inaugural coach of the wrestling team on Aug. 4, 2021; a native of Arlington, Texas, she was the first Black woman and Texan to win an Olympic medal in women's wrestling, and was the only Black woman to win a medal for USA Wrestling until Tamyra Mensah-Stock won gold in 2021; 2014 Military World champion and 2014 U.S. World Team member; U.S. Senior National Team 2008 and 2012-16; U.S. Senior National champion 2008 and 2014; 10-time U.S. senior-level All-America honoree; 2008 USA Wrestling female wrestler of the year; assistant coaching stints at Missouri Baptist, MacMurray and Limestone; South Carolina USA Wrestling women's director from 2018; served in the U.S. Army National Guard World Class Athlete Program; led TWU to a fourth-place NCWWC regional finish and five national qualifiers in 2022-23 and three qualifiers in 2023-24
- https://twuathletics.com/sports/wrestling/coaches · Texas Woman's University lists Randi Miller as head coach on its 2026-27 wrestling coaching staff page
- http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/117009 · Olympedia: Randi Criner Miller, affiliated with the Gator Wrestling Club, Chico; one Olympic bronze medal, 2008 Summer Olympics, women's freestyle middleweight. Olympedia gives her birthplace as Berkeley, California, while USA Wrestling and Texas Woman's University call her a native of Arlington, Texas, so no birthplace is stated in the profile.
- http://www.olympedia.org/results/263525 · Olympedia bracket for the 2008 women's freestyle middleweight (63 kg) event, held 17 August 2008 at Zhongguo Nongye Daxue Tiyuguan in Beijing with 17 entrants: Kaori Icho (JPN) gold, Alyona Kartashova (RUS) silver, Yelena Shalygina (KAZ) and Randi Miller (USA) bronze; in round one Miller beat Haiat Farag (EGY) by fall
- https://tech-fall.com/2008INT/08OTResults.html · 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials results, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, June 13, 2008: women's freestyle 63 kg, 1st Randi Miller (Gator Wrestling Club), 2nd Sara McMann (Sunkist Kids), 3rd Alaina Berube (New York AC), 4th Tori Adams (Sunkist Kids); championship series round one Miller dec. McMann 1-3, 4-0, 2-0 and round two Miller dec. McMann 1-0, 1-0
- https://armedforcessports.defense.gov/Media/News-Stories/Article-View/Article/566313/miller-wins-gold-fay-takes-silver-smith-and-feroleto-add-bronzes-at-cism-milita/ · Armed Forces Sports: Army Sgt. Randi Miller went undefeated in the women's freestyle 69 kg round robin to win gold at the 29th CISM World Military Wrestling Championship at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Oct. 1 to 8, 2014; Enas Mostafa Yousef of Egypt took silver
- https://www.themat.com/news/2017/march/08/first-african-american-female-olympic-medalist-randi-miller-keeps-moving-forward · March 8, 2017 USA Wrestling feature: Miller was the first African American woman to win an Olympic medal, bronze at 63 kg in Beijing (the page's own headline and text carry no sport, which is why the profile scopes the claim to wrestling); she went to the 2005 World Championships as Iris Smith's training partner and watched Smith become 'the first African-American woman World wrestling champion for the United States'; the turning-point framing is the writer's, and Miller's own words are 'she went out there and dominated her competition and I realized it's OK if people think I'm not gonna win but that doesn't mean I won't'
- https://www.themat.com/news/2014/april/20/alyssa-lampe-among-womens-champs-crowned-at-us-open · USA Wrestling wrap of the U.S. Open women's finals, wrestled Saturday night, April 19, 2014, at the Las Vegas Convention Center (the story carries an Apr 19, 2014 byline at a /april/20/ URL): at 69 kg/152 lbs., Randi Miller (U.S. Army) dec. Veronica Carlson (New York AC), 3-1; 'Miller won her second Open title, but first since 2008 after not competing in the last Olympic cycle'
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