SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—South Dakota junior Chris Nilsen has been voted the Summit League Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive season as announced Wednesday by the league office.
 
Nilsen captured his third NCAA Championship in the pole vault this spring, breaking his NCAA meet record with a vault of 19 feet, 6 ¼ inches. The height was a four-inch personal best that moved him to No. 3 in NCAA history and No. 25 in world history.
 
Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Nilsen found consistency past the Olympic standard of 19-0 ¼ during the spring. He sailed past the height five times in 2019, with 11 jumps above the standard in his career. Nilsen ranks No. 1 in the United States and No. 2 in the world this year. He has been named a semifinalist for The Bowerman, the Heisman of track and field, for the second-straight year.
 
In addition to his performance at the NCAA Championships, Nilsen won his third-straight Summit League title in May. He vaulted a Summit League Championships meet record of 19-0 ¾, improving last year's mark at the meet by a half inch.
 
Nilsen went undefeated during the collegiate outdoor season with nine meet victories.
 
Up next for Nilsen is the U.S. Championships held July 25-28 in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake Stadium. He will compete amongst the nation's best amateurs and professionals for a chance to represent America at the 2019 IAAF World Championships. The top-three finishers make Team USA for the meet held in Doha, Qatar, at the end of September.