South Dakota's Chris Nilsen Continues to Soar Outdoors

By Scott Bush, DyeStat Editor

In case you missed it, a freshman won the NCAA men's indoor pole vault title.

University of South Dakota's Chris Nilsen, 19, beat a strong field with ease, clearing 18 feet, 8.25 inches (5.70m), the second time he soared over the height during the 2017 indoor season. 

Nilsen then opened up his outdoor collegiate career two weeks ago at the Baldy Castillo Invitational at Arizona State University, where he cleared 18-6.25 (5.65m), a mark that ranks him third in the world at the moment.

A native of Missouri, Nilsen set the American high school record in the event last year, showing he's the future of the event in the United States, one that has Olympic medalist Sam Kendricks at the top, but not much depth behind him. 

While Nilsen is clearly a world-class talent in the event, he's also receiving world-class coaching from three-time Olympian Derek Miles. Miles, who's one of the best vaulters in American history, earned bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while boasting a personal best of 5.85m.

To have a coach who has been at the level Nilsen hopes to get to, while being able to turn to when having questions on technique, strategy or training, is an advantage Nilsen has given himself when he chose to attend South Dakota.

Another advantage Nilsen has is his height. Listed at 6-5, Nilsen can maximize the angle of his pole over shorter competition. In a recent profile by the Yankton Daily Press, Nilsen said, “I’m able to get on longer poles from a shorter run because I have a higher take off angle. My hand is somewhere like eight feet in the air that makes it a steeper takeoff angle which makes it easier for me to roll poles or make them go forward easier.”

The future is bright for Nilsen, a star on the rise and the future of American pole vaulting.