As Mallory Miller’s fortunes rose, so did those of the Arizona soccer team.

The senior midfielder-forward emerged as a key offensive cog during her final two seasons with the Wildcats, setting 12 team records and helping the program move from a perennial also-ran to a postseason fixture.

Her presence boosted Arizona to consecutive playoff berths for the first time in team history, as her 19-goal performance this fall resulted in the Wildcats’ breakthrough run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA College Cup.

“”It wasn’t like she was like this from day one. She worked to change things,”” said Dan Tobias, Arizona’s third-year head coach. “”You name it, she changed it. If she needed to do better in school, she changed some habits on how she studied so she got better grades. If she needed more rest, she changed her schedule to allow herself to have more fuel for games and for training.””

The work clearly paid off for Miller, who went from being an honorable-mention Pacific 10 Conference selection in 2003 to the Pac-10’s Player of the Year in 2005.

“”The impact she’s had really transcends what she accomplished and what the program’s accomplished, especially the last two years,”” Tobias said. “”It transcends the Pac-10 Championship (in 2004), it transcends a berth in the Sweet 16. The example she set on the field, in the classroom, off the field, it’s everything you hope to have in every one of your student-athletes.””