South Dakota’s pole vault athletes Anna Willis and Caelan Harland were named the Kwik Star Summit League Outdoor Field Peak Performers of the Week, according to an April 28 announcement from the league office. The honors come after both athletes achieved personal bests at the Drake Relays over the weekend.
The recognition highlights recent achievements in South Dakota Coyotes track and field, as seven team members set outdoor personal records at the event. Willis set a new school and Drake Relays record by clearing 15-2 ¼ (4.63m), surpassing previous marks held by Emily Grove and breaking a meet record set in 2024. She joins Grove and teammate Marleen Mülla as South Dakota women’s pole vaulters who have cleared 15-0 outdoors, while she and Mülla became the first two Coyotes to achieve that height indoors earlier this season.
Willis now holds second place in NCAA rankings for this outdoor season and is fourth worldwide for her performance at Drake Relays. She is a two-time All-American and last summer’s USA U20 Champion. Her three indoor weekly Peak Performer awards this season tie her for fourth most in a single Summit League season; only three athletes have earned four or more such honors in one year.
Freshman Caelan Harland continued his rise through South Dakota’s top ten with an 18-2 ¾ clearance to win his division at Drake Relays, marking his first time over 18 feet outdoors—a milestone reached by only six men from USD. Harland currently ranks fourteenth nationally, sixth in NCAA’s West Region, and leads within the Summit League for men’s pole vault this season. He previously won the league’s indoor title and aims to become the first freshman since Chris Nilsen in 2017 to sweep both titles.
The latest awards add to a string of weekly field honors earned by South Dakota athletes throughout March and April, reflecting ongoing success within their track program.
