South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen Third in Pole Vault at NCAA Championships

South Dakota's Chris Nilsen finished off quite a freshman year, following up a NCAA Indoor Championship in the pole vault with a third place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Wednesday (June 7), in Eugene, Oregon.

The Kansas City, Missouri native, cleared 17 feet, 10 1/2 inches to finish tied for third with Kansas sophomore Hussain Alhizam. Matthew Ludwig of Akron, won the event with a jump of 18-4 ½. Adrian Valles of Cincinnati was second.

During his freshman year, Nilsen set a pair of Summit League Championship meet records, and led the NCAA leading heights during the indoor (18-8 ¼) and outdoor (18-9 ½) seasons.

The Coyotes have two more athletes competing in Eugene this week. Senior Emily Grove competes in thew women's pole vault, while senior Danielle Waldner competes in the women's shot put, Thursday (June 8) night.

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