By Rich Winter

605 Sports

CUSTER — Custer’s Ciana Stiefel was content to be a gymnast until one day at practice a gymnastics mom brought up the sport of pole vaulting. 

Figuring she was pretty good at gymnastics, Stiefel was reluctant to think about doing another sport.

“My mom kinda forced me to go to a practice,” Stiefel said. “I didn’t really want to get out of the car but I picked up a pole and fell in love with it right away and have been in love with it ever since.” 

Stiefel was a freshman when she first picked up a pole and on Wednesday, Nov. 20 after winning two Class A titles in the previous two seasons, she signed her letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at the University of South Dakota. 

“I realized that South Dakota has a really great program and I’ve always had my eye on them,” she said. “The coach has a great philosophy and I loved the campus and everyone on the team was so welcoming it just felt like home.” 

Even in her first year of vaulting in the spring of 2022 Stiefel found success. She finished second in the Class A state meet with a top vault of 11-0.

“At the first meet I went to I had success,” she said. “Eveyone told me I was going to be good and I looked back at the videos and I don’t know how anyone saw anything that would lead them to believe I was going to be any good.” 

As a sophomore, Stiefel cleared 12-8 to win the Class A state title. She also won the 2024 Class A state vaulting title with a clearance of 12-7. Her personal best of 12-09 is the second best vault in South Dakota history trailing only the state record of 13-3 set in 2008.

Stiefel has been starting at that state record for a number of years. 

“That record is something I think about a lot,” she said. “That is my main goal is to take down that record and hopefully go higher.”

In order to take down that record Stiefel has been concentrating on speed and strength. In a sport that has so many intangibles Steifel said she has a few things to work on.

“I need to improve upon my plants and my takeoffs,” she said. “I’m looking for a faster swing to get my hips through faster and then higher.” 

The Stiefel family takes their pole vaulting seriously and younger sisters Kelsie and Tenlee are both promising young vaulters on the track team. 

“My dad built a raised runway and we have a pit at our home,” Stiefel said. “We do it outside and then bring it inside the shop to practice.”

Long time Custer track coach Karen Karim said she isn’t surprised the Stiefels are seeing success. 

“She’s an awesome kid, a great athlete, super committed to the event and a student of pole-vaulting,” Karim said. “Her sisters are now involved and really looking good. That’s all they focus on is training specifically for the pole vault. If it’s not a technical thing it’s a strength and conditioning thing because there are so many things to consider with pole vault. 

Her father Chris, who held the Custer high jump record until last season serves as her primary vaulting coach. Stiefel said her dad goes with her to pole vaulting camps and got into the training part of things by watching videos and picking the brain of retired pole vaulter Pat Manson who lives in Colorado.