Courtney Miller didn’t really have a choice.

A wide-eyed freshman unsure if she had the ability to play at the collegiate level, the 2012 Punahou School graduate couldn’t back out of the situation.

UC San Diego had three goalkeepers on the roster when Miller visited the school for a recruiting trip as a senior in high school. When she jumped into the pool for the first day of practice with the Tritons, it was only her and one other freshman wearing the different colored cap reserved for goalies.

“Two of the three quit,” Miller said of the returning goalkeepers.

Regardless of whether she was ready, Miller was going to see a lot of playing time right away. The doubts that she had from the moment she decided to give water polo in college a try had to go away.

She didn’t have any other choice.

“I figured I was going to be playing with a lot of girls from California and it’d be hard to keep up,” Miller said. “But I love the game and I wanted to try (to play in college) and if I became a bench warmer, I could at least say I tried.”

It’s worked out so well that Miller was named the WWPA player of the year as a junior and named to the ACWPC All-America first team.

The 5-foot-10 Miller has led the Tritons to three consecutive NCAA Championship appearances and will go for a fourth later this month.

Teammate Lauren Boyer, who graduated from Punahou a year after Miller, had a similar beginning to her collegiate career.

She too was late in deciding to attend UCSD and also had doubts how she would adjust to the game at a higher level.

“I was actually kind of in the same boat,” said Miller, who plays the center position. “There are all of these scary California girls playing year-round since they were 10 years old and then me. I was just hoping to maybe get a little playing time.”

Fully recovered from a broken foot that plagued her for much of her sophomore season, Boyer has earned two WWPA player of the week awards and is tied for second on the team with 39 goals.

The 10th-ranked Tritons leave for Honolulu today to compete in three matches this weekend at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.

It’s part of a yearly spring break tournament Hawaii hosts that first gave Boyer the idea of potentially playing water polo in college.

“When I was in high school and even in middle school, we’d always go over (to UH) during the spring break tournament and watch them play,” Boyer said. “There was a girl on the UH team that played the same position as I am now and I remember seeing her play my position and how quick and powerful she was despite being undersized, it was an inspiration to me.”

UCSD opens with No. 24 Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday before back-to-back games against top-10 foes in No. 7 UC Irvine on Friday and fourth-ranked Hawaii on Saturday.

The Tritons are 18-7 overall with only one loss to a team outside of the top 10.

“We’ve got a bunch of new freshmen this year who have brought a new level of talent to our team,” Miller said. “We have so many more players that we’re a lot deeper and can stay a lot fresher, which has really changed the dynamic of each game.”

Miller is already the program’s all-time saves leader with 1,335.

She provides a level of comfort on the back end of the defense that makes things easier for players like Boyer.

“She’s probably like one of the best goalies in the country right now,” Boyer said. “She’s essentially our defensive anchor. It creates a lot confidence that if our defenses slips up at one time she’ll be there as a last resort to block the ball away.”

Boyer has rebounded nicely from a foot injury that made for a frustrating sophomore season.

She’s come back to become a presence in the middle of the pool and made a huge difference for UCSD this season.

“She’s flipped a switch that allowed her to bring just the best water polo she’s ever played,” Miller said. “Her defense is awesome now and she’s performing well for us in set too so she’s doing a great job all around.”

Only two of UCSD’s final eight matches are at home before the WWPA tournament takes place April 29-May 1. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for May 13-15 in Los Angeles.

AROUND THE NATION

Terao finishes career in memorable fashion

American University senior David Terao went out in style over the weekend, finishing in fourth place at 125 pounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships to end his career as an All-American.

Terao, a 2011 Mid-Pacific graduate, was named the GEICO AU Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday after becoming the ninth Eagle named an All-American in men’s wrestling.

Terao was the 15th seed entering the national tournament and made a huge run to the semifinals, knocking out three top-10 seeds.

His biggest win came against No. 2 seed Joey Dance of Virginia Tech and he followed that up with a pin of the 10th seed to get to the semis.

Terao lost a decision to No. 3 seed Nico Megaludis, the eventual champion, before moving on to the third-place match with a decision win over the No. 9 seed.

In the final match of his career, Terao battled No. 1 seed Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State to a tough 5-3 decision loss and received a standing ovation from the Madison Square Garden crowd for his efforts.

“Even though I lost (the third-place match), I don’t feel bad about my performance,” Terao said in a press release. “I gave it everything I had. I put everything on the line against the returning national champ, and I was razor close to coming up with it.”

Terao is the first AU wrestler to finish in the top four at nationals in five years.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better place and venue and crowd to have this kind of performance in front of,” Terao said. “It’s definitely been the performance of my life. There’s almost nothing comparable to this.”

He ends his career is the winningest wrestler in AU history with 130 victories over four years. He finished 29-7 in his senior season and 130-38 overall.

Maeda closes chapter on BYU career

Brigham Young starting point guard Kylie Maeda had her collegiate career come to an end on Saturday with a 78-69 loss to Missouri in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

The 2012 ‘Iolani graduate helped lead the Cougars to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run as a sophomore that ended with a loss to defending national champion Connecticut.

Maeda finished with six points, an assist, a steal and a rebound in 30 minutes against the Tigers.

A two-time ILH player of the year with the Raiders, Maeda earned three All-West Coast Conference honorable mention nods with the Cougars. She averaged at least 30 minutes per game for a second straight year as a senior and put up 5.9 points, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game while running the BYU offense. Maeda played in 129 games with 99 starts in her four years at BYU. She’s tied for fourth in school history in games played and ranks 10th in assists with 405 and 11th in 3-pointers made with 98.

BASEBALL

>> Rick Nomura, Punahou ’12: The Arkansas second baseman hit .250 (3-for-12) with three runs scored in three losses to South Carolina over the weekend. The Razorbacks remain ranked in the top 20 in three of the major college baseball polls.

>> KJ Harrison, Punahou ’14: The Oregon State sophomore first baseman drilled a two-run homer for his first of the season in a 3-2 win over Arizona State in the Pac-12 opener for both teams last Friday. Harrison finished 4-for-10 in the series with a double, three walks and five runs scored.

>> Christian Donahue, ‘Iolani ’14: The Oregon State left fielder hit .500 (6-for-12) with two doubles, a triple and three runs scored against the Sun Devils.

>> Brent Sakurai, Mid-Pacific ’13: The New Mexico State junior second baseman was 4-for-10 with a double and four RBIs to help the Aggies win two of three against UC Riverside over the weekend.

>> Tyler Yamaguchi, Mid-Pacific ’15: The Northern Colorado third baseman singled, drew two walks and scored twice in a 9-4 win over Regis University on Tuesday.

>> Austin Darmawan,‘Iolani ’13: The Washington (Mo.) shortstop was named to the University Athletic Association All-Tournament team on Thursday. Darmawan had 11 hits in eight games at the UAA Championship and tied for third with four stolen bases. He also scored six runs and recorded hits in six of eight games. The Bears went 6-2 to claim their sixth conference titles in school history and first since 2005.

>> Alika McGuire, Kamehameha ’12: The Westmont (Calif.) College centerfielder hit .500 (6-for-12) with a double, walk, four runs and two RBIs in a three-game sweep of Arizona Christian over the weekend.

MEN’S GOLF

>> PJ Samiere, Punahou ’14: The San Diego State sophomore had the lowest third-round score at the Barona Collegiate Cup on Tuesday, bettering the field by four shots to close with a 7-under 65 and finish in a tie for ninth place at 3 under. Samiere eagled three holes in his round, including back-to-back on Nos. 14 and 15, and added two birdies with one bogey.

>> John Oda, Moanalua ’14: The UNLV sophomore closed with an even-par 72 and finished in a tie for sixth place at 4 under at the Airstream Adventures Northwest Classic that ended Tuesday.

>> Alex Chiarella, Seabury Hall ’12: The San Diego senior closed with an even-par 72 to finish in a tie for 42nd place at 8 over at the Airstream Adventures Northwest Classic.

WOMEN’S GOLF

>> Kristen Le,Punahou ’14: The Santa Clara sophomore finished in a tie for ninth place at 11-over 227 in the Sacramento State Invitational that ended Tuesday.

>> Kimberlie Miyamoto, Baldwin ’14: The Eastern Washington sophomore shot her best score of 2-over 74 in the second round and finished in a tie for 25th place at 16 over in the Sacramento State Invitational.

>> Kalea Heu, Baldwin ’12: The Utah Valley senior finished in a tie for 51st place at 25 over at the Sacramento State Invitational.

>> Cassandra Lesa, University ’12: The Utah Valley senior shot her best score of 77 in the first round and finished in a tie for 60th place at 28 over in the Sacramento State Invitational.

>> Kirsten Ishikawa, Baldwin ’15: The Eastern Washington freshman shot rounds of 82, 82 and 81 to finish in a tie for 62nd place at 31 over in the Sacramento State Invitational.

>> Marissa Chow, ‘Iolani ’12: The Pepperdine senior opened the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational on Tuesday with a 1-over 73 to sit in a tie for 13th place heading into the next two rounds.

>> Ciera Min, Waiakea ’13: The Gonzaga junior shot a 4-over 76 and is tied for 30th place after the first round of the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational.

>> Keilyn Ing, ‘Iolani ’15: The Portland State freshman shot a 5-over 77 on Tuesday and is in a tie for 44th place heading into today’s final two rounds of the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

>> Josh Yee, Thompson Academy ’12: The Oklahoma senior took first place in the high bar with a score of 14.7 in Friday’s win over Illinois. He also scored 14.6 on the pommel and 14.650 on the vault to help the No. 1-ranked Sooners complete a perfect regular season.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

>> Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The Seattle Pacific junior scored 9.575 on the bars and 9.175 on the beam to help SPU finish fourth at the MPSF Championships on Friday.

>> Kristi Hayashida, Home Schooled ’13: The Seattle Pacific junior scored 9.1 on the beam at the MPSF Championships.

>> Joey Ching, Punahou ’12: The Air Force senior scored 8.6 on the floor exercise at the MPSF Championships.

>> Jenna Frowein, Punahou ’12: The Stanford senior scored 9.7 on the floor exercise at the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday, helping the Cardinal finish fifth and quality for the NCAA Division I Regional Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., on April 2.

MEN’S LACROSSE

>> Preston Dudoit, Kalani ’15: The College of Saint Mary freshman is currently sixth in the NAIA with 65 face-offs won and 18th with a .462 face-off win percentage.

SOFTBALL

>> Mysha Sataraka, Punahou ’12: The UCLA senior hit two solo homers, including the go-ahead shot in the top of the ninth inning in a 3-2 win over California last Friday.

>> Kimberlee Souza, ‘Iolani ’11: The Washington senior finished 3-for-7 with three doubles, two runs and two RBIs in three losses to Oregon over the weekend.

>> Reina Furuya, Punahou ’12: The Penn State shortstop went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and drew seven walks as the Nittany Lions lost two of three to Hofstra over the weekend.

>> Mikela Manewa, Kapolei ’12: The Oregon State second baseman finished 3-for-12 with a double, three runs and an RBI in three losses to Utah over the weekend.

>> Shearyna Labasan, Maryknoll ’15: The Western Washington freshman pitcher improved to 8-4 on the season, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in a complete game 5-2 victory over Western Oregon on Monday.

>> Taylor Ann Oda, Mid-Pacific ’14: The Shorter (Ga.) University sophomore had the pinch-hit, walk-off single in a 4-3 win over Young Harris College to complete a doubleheader sweep last Wednesday. Oda was 1-for-3 with a double in the first game the Hawks won 2-1.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

>> Maddie Kauahi, Kamehameha ’15: The Pomona Pitzer freshman earned All-America honors on the first day of the NCAA Division III Championships last Wednesday, placing sixth for the women’s 200-yard medley relay team with a time of 1:43.51 to break a school record. Kauahi also earned honorable mention honors in the 50 freestyle after finishing 14th with a time of 23.51 seconds. She also helped set a school record in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:50.02 to place 13th and notched a 20th-place finish in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.46.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

>> Alyssa Tobita, Mililani ’14: The reigning Pac-12 player of the week won in three sets at No. 2 singles and picked up a victory at No. 2 doubles in a 6-1 win over Arizona on Friday. Tobita, who is second in UO history with 35 doubles wins, extended her singles winning streak to 12 matches in a 4-3 loss to Arizona State on Sunday.

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

>> Madison Obata, ‘Iolani ’13: The Siena (N.Y.) junior had two goals and a steal in a 10-4 win over Connecticut College last Thursday.

>> Roxy Kiessling, Punahou ’14: The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps sophomore scored a first-quarter goal in a 13-7 loss to Bucknell last Wednesday.

>> Nohea Kahauelelio, Kahuku ’15: The Pomona Pitzer freshman scored a goal in a 13-8 loss to Cal Baptist at the Arizona State Tournament on Friday.

>> Kahea Kahauelelio, Kahuku 15: The Pomona Pitzer- freshman added an assist against Cal Baptist.

>> Alea Weber, Baldwin ’14: The Redlands (Calif.) sophomore scored a goal in a 12-4 loss to Virginia Military Institute on Friday.

>> Kolby Kahahawai, Kamehameha ’15: The Redlands (Calif.) freshman scored a late goal in a 16-8 loss to CSUN on Thursday.

Compiled by the Star-Advertiser’s Billy Hull. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com