EUGENE, Ore.–South Dakota freshman Chris Nilsen capped off his freshman campaign with the bronze at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday evening at Historic Hayward Field.
 
Nilsen, the 2017 NCAA Indoor Champion, tied for third place with a height of 17 feet, 10 ½ inches. He was one of seven vaulters eliminated at 18-2 ½ with only two athletes clearing the height. Matthew Ludwig of Akron, who placed third at the indoor meet, captured his first NCAA title with a height of 18-4 ½. No freshman in NCAA history has ever captured national pole vault titles in both the indoor and outdoor season.
 
The Kansas City, Mo., native boasts the highest finish by a Coyote male at the NCAA Div. I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Nilsen joins Cody Snyder, who placed seventh in the discus in 2015, as South Dakota's second male All-American at the outdoor meet.
 
"Congrats to Matthew [Ludwig] and Adrian [Valles] on getting the top two spots," Nilsen said. "I know that you can't win them all and I have lost my fair share of meets. […] I'm happy to know that I left here giving 100% and doing everything that I could have done."

Nilsen wraps up his freshman campaign with a pair of top-3 finishes at the NCAA Championships, a pair of Summit League Championship meet records, and NCAA leading heights during the indoor (18-8 ¼) and outdoor (18-9 ½) season.
 
The Coyotes continue competition at the NCAA Championships on Thursday with seniors Emily Grove and Danielle Waldner. Grove competes in the pole vault at 7 p.m. CST and Waldner throws the shot put at 8:40 p.m. CST.