VERMILLION, S.D. – Two of the top three women's pole vault qualifiers in the NCAA reside in Vermillion, as South Dakota's Marleen Mülla and Anna Willis will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships later this month in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
 
Mülla, a five-time all-American for the Coyotes, is competing in her third indoor championships, finishing as high as third in 2023. Willis earned her first all-American honor during the 2025 outdoor season, and is competing in her first indoor championships.

Both athletes have had historic seasons in a Coyote uniform. At one point during the season the two were tied for second in the NCAA with a school record clearance of 15-1 (4.60m). Mülla enters the competition with the second-best bar of the season at 15-2 ¼ (4.63m) and most recently won the Summit League title in the pole vault. Willis enters the Indoor Championships with the third best result of the season at 15-1 (4.60m).
 
Willis and Mülla are two of four competitors in the field who've cleared 15-0 (4.57m) this season. Both Coyotes have competed in the facility where the NCAA Indoor Championships will be held, as both athletes reached 15-1 at the Tyson Invitational at the beginning of February. The two Coyotes are two of the Summit League's four representatives at the NCAA Indoor Championships and is the only conference school with multiple athletes competing at the championship meet.

South Dakota's Mülla and Willis will compete on Saturday, March 14 at 4 p.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas.


NATIONAL RANKINGS
Following conference championship weekend, South Dakota women's track and field is still ranked inside the Top 25, coming in 25^th this week. In event squad rankings, the women's pole vault group is 2^nd and the women's triple jump group is 20^th. The women's 800 group is atop of the Summit League and 44^th in the NCAA. The women's long jump group also leads the Summit League and is 49^th in the NCAA.
 
In event ranks, the USD men are 8^th in the pole vault and 15^th in the shot put.
   
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