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By DANIEL LOCKE | Staff Writer

HELENA – Shelby County has been well-represented in NCAA wrestling by Appalachian State’s Will Miller, a Helena native who won two state titles at Thompson.

Miller had a notable campaign for the Mountaineers in 2024-25, being named SoCon Wrestler of the Year, winning a match at the NCAA championships in the 165-pound division and holding a top-10 ranking throughout the season. His career record sits at 84-31.

Miller’s background on the mat is extensive as he picked up the sport at a young age. His small stature did not hold him back as it would have in other sports. He trained under National Wrestling Hall of Famer Norm Latona, a Birmingham native, who helped start the Alabaster Youth Wrestling Association.

“I was kind of smaller when I was younger,” Miller said. “I wasn’t really built for other sports like football or baseball so I kind of felt at home when it came to wrestling. That was the sport I felt fitted me the most out of any other sports I played. So I got introduced to it very young and kind of had a natural ability with it and ended up sticking with it.”

Miller transferred from Helena to Thompson before his junior year, hoping to elevate his skills while competing for one of the state’s top programs. Learning from Shawn Weltzin and Riley Pike allowed Miller to grow on and off the mat while preparing him for collegiate competition.

“They elevated my wrestling to another level,” Miller said. “They added discipline to me. 6 a.m. workouts every day of the week in high school is not an easy thing to do and they built that into me so that I’d be ready for college and they helped me grow as a wrestler too.”

Despite his accolades throughout the youth and high school ranks, Miller was not a highly-touted prospect as only two college programs showed interest in him.

“The only D1 schools that I was talking to were App. State and The Citadel,” Miller said. “I knew I wanted to go D1 but I didn’t want to do the military. Nothing bad about The Citadel, but I didn’t want to do the military aspect with school and wrestling.”

Once Miller visited Appalachian State’s campus in Boone, North Carolina for the first time, he knew he had found the place for him.

“I came and saw App State. I came up and visited it and it just felt like home,” Miller said. “It’s different, it’s up in the mountains of North Carolina so a different scenery than Alabama. It’s a different lifestyle and I liked it from what I saw on the visit so I chose it.”

Competing at the highest level of collegiate wrestling takes a large amount of time and dedication, something Miller was willing to put in to keep improving. The Mountaineers practice up to seven days a week with weight-lifting sessions mixed in. Classes and study sessions are strategically placed into Miller’s schedule as well.

Staying dedicated to improving at the sport he has been working to master since a young age allowed Miller the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships, a dream he has had since first buckling his headgear.

“I really can’t even describe it,” Miller said. “It’s something that I’ve been trying to train for my entire life. It’s so cool knowing that you’re there and having all the people that supported you, club coaches, high school coaches, family, friends, there supporting you on the biggest stage.

“It kind of gives you a very big sense of gratitude and it almost motivates you to do more there compared to any other normal tournament. Just knowing that’s like the pinnacle of college wrestling, it’s a great experience. The atmosphere is absolutely awesome, it’s a great experience overall.”

In addition to his devotion to his craft and unteachably strong work ethic, Appalachian State head coach JohnMark Bentley is another reason Miller has had success at the college level.

“All of my coaches believed in me, but I feel like he was the first one to believe in me, really before I believed in myself,” Miller said of Bentley. “He changed me from a boy to a man over my four years here, I’ve matured a lot. I’ve grown as a person, not just a wrestler.”

Although he has spent his college years in North Carolina, Miller looks fondly on Helena and enjoyed growing up there.

“I don’t think there’s a kid growing up there that I didn’t know or didn’t talk to. There’s no one that I never talked to or never had an interaction with, it’s kind of a smaller town. It’s a special place, you can do anything you want to do there. You can pursue sports, you can pursue academics, you can start a business, a family.

“It’s a good community, everyone helps each other, everyone sticks together, it’s very tight-knit. I feel like everyone there is kinda like-minded in that way. It makes you grow as a community, not only as an individual.”

Miller has represented Helena as well as Thompson High School in a first-class manner throughout his college wrestling career. Motivated by his passion for hard work and love for his community, Miller is prepared to keep making an impact after his team on the mat comes to an end.