VERMILLION, S.D.—A celebration welcoming back Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen is set for noon Friday (Aug. 6) inside the Muenster University Center on the University of South Dakota campus.
The event is free and open to the public. USD President Sheila Gestring, Athletic Director David Herbster, and Associate Director of Track and Field Derek Miles, who also serves as Nilsen’s coach, will be part of the festivities.
Coyote Nation is encouraged to line Cherry St. from Pine St. to University St. at 11:50 a.m. to cheer Nilsen’s arrival. Fans can then enter through the east entrance of the MUC to continue the celebration.
Nilsen, who hails from Kansas City, Missouri, attended USD from 2016-20 and won three NCAA national pole vault titles. His second-place finish in his Olympic debut came after clearing a personal-best height of 19-feet-7-inches. The silver medal is the highest pole vault finish by an American in the Olympics since 2004.