Mills comes to Stony Brook after a storied playing career as a back at Penn State University where she holds the school record for games started and is second all-time in games played. She started in every single game that she played in, a total of 103 games in four seasons which ranks her fourth all-time in NCAA Division I competition. She helped her team to four Elite Eight appearances and a trip to NCAA Women's College Cup Final Four in 1999.

A three-time Academic Big Ten honoree, Mills earned All-Big Ten honors on two occasions and was named a NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region All-America following her junior season in which she tied for fifth on the team in scoring. During her senior year, she was instrumental in helping the defense to a .87 goals against average and 11 shutouts en route to grabbing third-team All-Mid Atlantic Region recogntion from Soccer Buzz.

In joining the Stony Brook coaching staff, Mills is reunited with her club coach Susan Ryan where she teamed with New York Power forward Christie Welsh on the Northport-Cow Harbor Piranha team that won two USYSA national championships (1997 & 1999). Welsh and Mills went on to play together for three seasons at Penn State. A native of West Islip, N.Y. , Mills was a a first-team All-CHSAA League selection for four-time state and conference champion St. Anthony's HS.

Mills graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Penn State in December of 2002.