AOTW: Palmer junior caps off incredible month with multiple championship crowns

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - In just under a month, Cole Miller has accomplished quite a lot.

For starters, the class of 2026 Palmer student was simply outstanding in the classroom; Miller finished his junior year with a 4.02 GPA, putting an emphasis on the first part of “student athlete.”

His athletic ability was just as impactful, specifically in the world of gymnastics, a sport Miller recalls getting involved in at a young age.

“Both of my sisters were in the gym, so I was always in the gym. I was probably annoying my mom too much, so she was like, ‘Alright, if you’re going to be here, you’re going to go into a class,’” Miller said. “At about seven or eight, I started doing gymnastics competitively.

“I’ve been in the gym my whole life.”

Now 17 years old, Miller is a level 10 gymnast at Denali Gymnastics, the gym his sisters started at.

Earlier this month, he took a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, the home of the 2025 Men’s Development Program National Championships. There, he represented his hometown gym and the state of Alaska.

“I was definitely stressing out the night before,” Miller said. “But as the meet came that morning, after the first event I was settled in.

“I felt really good about the meet and I’m super happy with how it finished up.”

Following up a second-place finish in 2024, Miller left nothing in doubt this go-round. Miller finished as the All-Around athlete for level 10 gymnasts.

“In the moment, I couldn’t really comprehend what just happened. It didn’t really set in until that night. There was so many emotions and it was really nice celebrating with my family,” Miller said.

Doing that alone would have been an astounding feat of achievement, but Miller wasn’t done yet.

As a star for Palmer soccer, Miller was starting to turn heads on the pitch too. The two-sport athlete says he still plays the game for fun despite having to focus more on gymnastics.

“I grew up playing competitively until I was about 12,” he said. “I just had to make the switch. I couldn’t balance the two doing them both competitively.”

Though you can now call soccer his side hustle, the talent hasn’t slipped a bit. Miller found ways to incorporate his skills from the mat to the pitch, especially in his work on throw-ins.

His most memorable play came against North Pole earlier in the year.

“To say I was trying to score would be a lie. I was just throwing the ball and hoping for the best,” Miller said. “In that video, you can see I’m looking around in disbelief. I looked at the ref and he’s like, ‘Well, he tipped it.’ I was just as surprised as everyone else.”

“I’ve coached a long time and I’ve never seen that before,” Palmer head coach Blake Livingston said.

Thanks to the goalie’s glove brushing the ball, Miller’s throw-in ended up counting on the scoreboard in one of the wildest plays of the season.

Shortly after the game, Miller left for the Nationals competition in gymnastics, later returning to take on Grace Christian on May 20.

In that game, Miller would go on to score the only two goals of the match, leading Palmer to another victory just before the start of the Alaska soccer postseason.

Miller, now back between the lines, shifted his focus to bringing the Moose a long-awaited state championship.

“I think it would be a good cherry on top,” Miller said leading up to the playoffs. “It would be very rewarding to take home a state championship with the team.”

Advancing to the title match against Soldotna, the Moose battled hard. After trailing 1-0 in the first half, Elijah Von Gunten was able to knot things up shortly after the halftime break.

That score prevailed through 80 minutes, sending things to overtime.

In the first round, Miller would put the Moose on top, sneaking a shot into the bottom left corner of the Stars’ net.

“I knew there were people on me but I didn’t really know where the goal was honestly,” Miller said. “I turned and ripped the ball and got a little lucky. I’m super happy it went in and kept us in the game.”

Soldotna answered in the second round, sending things to sudden death and eventually to a shootout.

Miller, in the first group, missed his try at the net. However, his teammates refused to slow down and after nine rounds, Palmer would pull out the wild victory 4-3.

The title marked Palmer’s first in the sport since 1995. Miller, for his efforts, earned player of the game honors.

“It’s really a good way to end of the season with a win,” Miller said. “I’m super grateful for the coaching and the players that went into all this. There was a lot of hard work and a lot of grind that went into getting this victory. I’m super happy.”

For Miller, the grind truly doesn’t stop. He is now on to Montana to continue training in gymnastics.

He will return to defend Palmer’s title in soccer next school year. Miller also has aspirations to one day pursue a run at the Olympics, with his eyes set on trials for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games

“I will definitely be training for it in 2028 and I’m hoping it goes well,” he said.

And in all of this, there’s one skill he’s truly perfected.

“The travel’s hard, but I’m getting pretty good at sleeping on a plane,” he said. “I’d say it’s not too bad anymore.”

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