South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen Wins Drake Relays Pole Vault with Record Jump

2019 is setting up to be something special for South Dakota's Chris Nilsen.

The junior pole vaulter, already with an NCAA and world-leading jump of 19 feet, one inch this month, added a gold medal performance at the Drake Relays, Saturday (April 27), with an even higher leap.

In Des Moines, Nilsen cleared 19' 2 1/4" to win a head-to-head match-up with 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World Champion Sam Kendricks. Nilsen's height was a new Drake Relays record.

In NCAA outdoor history, Nilsen now owns two marks in the top-10 and five marks in the top-15. The Kansas City native has also won a pair of NCAA titles, one indoors and one outdoors.

Nilsen and the Coyotes wrap up the regular season at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays next weekend (May 3-4) in Sioux Falls.

The Summit League Championships are May 8-10 in Macomb, Illinois.

NCAA preliminaries are in late May in Sacramento, California with the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas in early June.