For the third straight year, South Dakota pole vaulter Chris Nilsen has been voted as the Summit League Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
The announcement comes after Nilsen, a Kansas City, Mo. native, picked up his third NCAA Championship on June 5 with a vault of 19 feet, 6.25 inches. His finish at the national championships sprung him into No. 3 in NCAA History and No. 25 in world history.
Along with his third straight NCAA Championship, Nilsen won his third straight Summit League title in May, vaulting in at 19 feet, 0.34 inches. He improved by half an inch since the 2018 Summit League Championships.
At the 2018 national championships, He cleared 19 feet, 1.5 inches to break a 22-year-old NCAA Championships record. This May, he was one of eight men to clear 17 feet, 7 inches at the West Qualifier in May.
