A-K Valley athletes of the week: Kiski Area’s Eliza Miller, Anders Bordoy

By: Michael Love
Saturday, September 17, 2022 | 5:14 PM

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Eliza Miller

Class: Junior

School: Kiski Area

Sport: Cross country

Report card: Miller ruled the cross country course at Northmoreland Park on Friday by winning the girls varsity race at the Kiski Invitational.

She surpassed her own course record with a new top time of 18 minutes, 55.21 seconds. It was two seconds faster than the mark of 18:57.40 she produced at last year’s Section 4-3A championships.

The reigning Valley News Dispatch Girls Athlete of the Year for her success in cross country, swimming and track and field in the 2021-22 school year, Miller kicked off her road to WPIALs at the prestigious Red, White & Blue Invitational on Sept. 10 at White Oak Park. Against some of the top big-school runners from the WPIAL and beyond, Miller placed sixth with a time of 18:27.0.

Miller made her triathlon debut Sunday at Moraine State Park — The Mighty Moraine — with a 750-meter swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5K run

How did it feel to lower your Northmoreland Park course record time?

I am definitely running better than last year. That was my goal, to improve my times and the way I manage each course. I got out really well and maintained a good pace the whole way through. The competition at this meet is always tough, and it pushed me.

Who do you feel are the runners to beat in Class 3A this year?

I know Logan St. John (Kletter) is running very well, and she wants to defend her WPIAL title. It was nice to run against her at Red, White & Blue. Then there is the Bethel Park girl, Jenna Lang, and a handful of others. Seeing them and knowing they have really trained hard also pushes me to be prepared to compete against them again.

How beneficial was Red, White & Blue for showing you where you stood in the early part of the season?

I was kind of sick for that race, so it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be, but it still was a good start to build off of all my training over the summer and to see what I still needed to work on. I got a (personal best), so I was pretty happy with it.

What upcoming cross country meets have you excited?

I am looking forward to trying to defend my section championship (Oct. 5, Northmoreland Park), and I really want to win (Westmoreland) counties (Oct. 12) again. Of course, WPIALs, too. It’s going to get here pretty fast.

What are you still working on with your races as you get further into the season?

I definitely am trying to improve my last mile because I sometimes fall off a little bit from my second mile, and I know I need to have a strong kick to the finish. I did have a faster time than my second mile (in the Kiski Invite race), so I was happy about that.

Hoping to make it back to states in the pool, how much are you swimming now in the midst of the cross country season?

I usually swim one or two nights a week to stay connected to that. I don’t go too hard, but I want to be prepared when it’s time for the swim season in a couple of months.

What is the genesis for your interest in competing in a triathlon?

It wasn’t that long ago, a couple of months, that I started training. I had been keeping up with the running and swimming part of it, but not as much on the bike. I had biked a little bit before. I wanted to combine the three to test my athleticism and strength. The transitions between the swimming, biking and running, those are the challenging things.

Anders Bordoy

Class: Senior

School: Kiski Area

Sports: Soccer

Report card: Bordoy helped Kiski Area to three section victories over the past week to improve to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in Section 1-3A. He scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Highlands last Saturday. He had two assists in a 2-0 win over North Catholic and Tuesday, and then assisted on Nathaniel Coleman’s goal Thursday to beat Mars, 1-0. Bordoy, who announced his commitment to play soccer at Memphis on Wednesday, is a two-time All-WPIAL selection who was the Section 1-3A Player of the Year last season after tallying 18 goals and 22 assists.

How is the team playing at this point in the season?

I think it’s great to get a couple wins early in the season. We’re playing well but still have a lot of room for improvement.

What position are you playing this season?

A little midfield and a little striker or winger.

How would you describe your role on this team?

I think kind of a leadership role, as well as getting on the ball and making passes happen. Just helping the team overcome humps, mental humps or trying to adapt into that leadership role, showing people it’s possible to win even if we get hardships.

What do you enjoy more, scoring a goal or connecting on an assist?

Obviously, I like scoring goals, but assists mean a lot to me as well. They both mean the same to me. Both of them feel amazing and are something I look to keep improving.

What are the team’s goals this season?

We want to go as far as possible. Us seniors, we’ve been here three years and underperformed in the past and did not get to where we set our goals. This year, we want to make it a special year and go as far as possible, whether it’s WPIALs and states. We’re not setting limits on ourselves.

How did you get involved with soccer?

My dad is from Norway. He came over here when he was in his early 20s. My mom is from Pittsburgh. I just got involved in soccer from him. He brought over the soccer tradition from Norway. I started playing club soccer at 6 years old and kept playing all my life.

Why did you decide to commit to Memphis?

I just thought it was such a good fit for me. I liked how it wasn’t in my backyard, and I can explore what other states are like. I like the warmth of it. It’s something I wanted to be exposed to. I liked everything about it.

They have my major. They play on top-of-the-line grass fields. I feel like it was the perfect college for me.

What did they like about you?

They like how I like to get on the ball and dribble at players and try to make things happen. They said my soccer IQ – knowing when to pass, when to dribble and off the ball movements (were good). Mostly, they like how I can drive at players and offer a bit of pace.

What do you plan to study?

Business management.

What is something people might not know about you?

I’m Norwegian, and I can speak it fluently.

How would you motivate your teammates in Norwegian?

Vi har sjansen til å gå lengst i Kiski-footballhistorien, så la oss gjøre det (We have the chance to go the furthest in Kiski soccer history, so let’s do it).

Do you follow the Premier League?

I’m a Manchester United fan.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Kiski Area