ALBANY— Four months ago, Nick Miller ended his high school golf career as a three-time Section 10 champion and five-time state tournament qualifier, with a Division I golf career ahead of him at Siena College.

The journey to the Saints started four years ago, when the Potsdam native was just a high school freshman.

"I got a heads-up from Jeremy Melchoir (another Potsdam alumnus), who was playing for me at the time," said Siena men's golf coach Tom Wronowski. "He gave me a heads-up about a pretty darn good freshman up there."

Wronowski couldn't contact Miller then because NCAA regulations stipulate coaches can't communicate with a recruit until July 1 after a recruit's junior year.

That didn't mean Wronowski wasn't paying attention.

"I watched him play and Jeremy kept me updated, so I started tracking him," he said. "Anytime he was out (at the state tournament), he was kind of on my radar and I'd watch him for two or three holes to watch his growth. I continued to like what I saw."

It was Miller, however, that finally made contact with Wronowski.

"I hadn't really considered Siena and didn't really know about it until pretty late," Miller said. "I sent all my information to Siena and gave the coach a call. It was a pretty quick decision once he seemed interested."

Miller spent this summer practicing, every day, and winning the Potsdam Town and Country Club men's club championship tournament.

When he arrived at Siena this fall, Wronowski noticed one thing about the freshman: his swing.

"I use the fall season as sort of an evaluation of everybody on the team," Wronowski said. "Nick's swing stands out, and it's just a matter of him getting his feet wet in college golf."

Miller played in one of the first two tournaments, and he will play in the ECAC championships this weekend and at the Lehigh Invitational.

"(Wronowski) told me coming in, I'd play in most of the tournaments," Miller said. "I'm playing in the next two. It's a lot of fun."

A marketing management major, Miller said one of the challenges is balancing playing time with class time.

"It's hard finding the time to get on the course and spend the time you need to to keep your game where it should be," Miller said. "It's a pretty good school. The schoolwork's not too bad, but a lot more than in high school."

Miller shouldn't have a problem with either. He received a partial golf scholarship for his abilities and an academic grant through the school.

He's also learned outside the classroom from the seniors on the team. It's a trend that Wronowski says will serve Miller well the rest of this fall and into the spring, when Siena begins its full golf season.

"Just seeing Nick in practice rounds and qualifying, he's watching and learning," Wronowski said. "He's willing to learn from everybody and anybody."