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UMD’s lawyer emphasized a decline in the team’s performance, while Miller’s lawyer pointed to the school’s shifting explanation for the nonrenewal of her contract. The university said it’s considering an appeal.

“It’s a big day, really, for women,” Miller said after the verdict. “For women period, but especially women in college athletics.”

The jury unanimously found the school liable on both counts.

“It’s a real rebuke to the leadership of UMD and to the athletic department in particular,” said Miller’s lawyer, Dan Siegel. “I hope it’s a new day for this university and this community as women all over the world are saying, ‘Time’s up.”‘

Athletic director Josh Berlo and UMD Chancellor Lendley Black attended the trial. Berlo, previously a senior assistant athletic director for guest relations and event marketing at Notre Dame, fired Miller after a year and a half on the job.

“I want to say I’m extremely disappointed in this decision and very surprised by the decision,” Black said during a news conference outside the courthouse. “I still stand behind the actions that I took at UMD.”

The 54-year-old Miller and former UMD softball coach Jen Banford and former women’s basketball coach Annette Wiles also filed suit in state court, contending that the university discriminated against them on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Miller said she’ll look for jobs in men’s and women’s college hockey and would like to become the first female coach in the NHL.