By Matt Gade

605 Sports

CUSTER — Coming into the season, two-time defending Class A girls pole vault state champion senior Ciana Stiefel, of Custer, thought her high school track career was over.

At the start of practice, Stiefel said she noticed a pain in her wrist and went to get an MRI on it. There, she was given the bad news. She would need complete reconstructive surgery on her wrist.

The pain in her wrist made Sitefel miss the Dan Lennon Invitational on March 17. 

In the meantime, Stifel said she was struggling.

“I was kind of in denial,” Stiefel said of the diagnosis. “I did not want to believe it, I had my questions about it, because I could still move my wrist and everything. So I didn’t think I needed surgery, because, like, when I had my elbow surgery, I knew that there was something seriously wrong and with the wrist, it was definitely hurting really bad, but I didn't think that it was surgery necessary, especially reconstructing my wrist, so I just kind of took it with a grain of salt.

“I was like, OK, well, we're gonna get the second opinion, just fingers crossed, nothing’s wrong. But (I) definitely had a few mental breakdowns in there, for sure.”

About a week after the initial diagnosis, Stiefel got a call. They misread her MRI, she had been suffering from tendinitis of the wrist. 

With the initial news of a reconstructive surgery, Stiefel didn’t touch a pole again to help prevent further injury. Which turned into the necessary time off and rest for her wrist, the future South Dakota Coyote vaulter needed.

Stiefel made her senior debut at the Douglas Early Bird invite on April 8 in Box Elder.

Now, as the two-time defending state champion, Stiefel has her eyes on the 3-peat and the all-class state record.

Ciana Stiefel clears the bar while competing in pole vault during the Center of the Nation Invitational on Wednesday in Belle Fourche. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

In 2024, Steifel recorded her personal best 12 feet, 9 inches to put her in second all-time in the girls' pole vault. The all-class record was set in 2008 by Watertown’s Leslie Brost at 13 feet, 5.25 inches.

This year, Stiefel’s biggest challengers for the 3-peat are her two younger sisters — Tenlee and Kelsey.

Tenlee, an eighth grader, and Kelsey, a sophomore, have both cleared 12 feet even this season. 

The pair have made that feat twice this year, both clearing it at the Dan Lennon Invitational with Kelsey doing it again at the Douglas Early Bird and Tenlee clearing 12 feet on April 16 at the Center of the Nation Invitational in Belle Fourche.

Despite the news of Ciana’s possible season-ending injury, Tenlee wasn’t really phased by it.

Admitting she really wasn’t paying much attention.

“I don't even think that I fully processed it, because she was like, ‘Oh, I'm not gonna compete at this meet. Like, it might be torn.’ and I was like ‘Oh, OK,’” Tenlee said. “Like, she was out for a week. It's fine. But then, right before they told me that she was healed. Mom was like, ‘No, she'd be out for the season.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ But then the next day, they were like ‘She’s healed.”

While in Belle Fourche, Ciana won the event with her best vault of the season at 12 feet, 3 inches, before attempting 12 feet, 10 inches to break her personal best and school record — 12-9.

From the vault to the vault pit

Growing up as little girls, the Stiefel sisters didn’t even really know what the pole vault was. Instead, their parents, Chris and Breann, had them doing gymnastics. 

That’s where they said they learned about body control, developing their core muscles and learning how to fall. 

Then, as Ciana got older, she continued to grow so much that staying with gymnastics didn’t seem practical. 

“When I started hitting my feet on the bottom of the bars, it was kind of a telltale sign,” Ciana said. “I was like, OK, maybe I should try something else.’”

Stiefel said it was another gymnastics mom, Teresa Vining, who said she should try pole vaulting.

“I didn't even know what pole vaulting was until we were in gymnastics, when one of the gym(nastics) moms came up and was like, ‘Hey, you should come try pole vaulting,’ because she's the coach for STM,” Ciana said. “And then I would refuse to go until my mom literally forced me into the car to go to my first practice.

“Then I pretty much just fell in love with it right away, and then never complained about going back to practice. But yeah, definitely, I had my heart set on gymnastics, even though I knew that I wasn't really going to go anywhere with that in college. But I kind of just had my own bubble, and I kind of stuck to it until I got dragged out of it.”

Following Ciana’s lead, the transition for Kelsey and Tenlee wasn’t nearly as dramatic.

The pair said they kind of just fell into it because their oldest sister was doing it.

At Custer High School, the Stiefel sisters were coached by then-pole vault coach Pete Johncour.

“Pete just kept telling me that I was going to be decent at it, so I just kind of kept with it,” Tenlee said. “I really had nothing else better to do, because gymnastics, I didn't like it at all, really. I just kind of did it because that's all I knew.”

Kelsey took a little more convincing than Tenlee. 

Last year, as a freshman, Kelsey was more focused on being a sprinter, believing that was her event, while occasionally joining her sisters in the pole vault at practice.

It wasn’t until the last chance qualifier meet, in Custer, that Kelsey cleared 9 feet, 9 inches to secure the Wildcats' third spot to compete in the state meet behind Ciana and Tenlee.

At the time, fellow Custer athlete Addie Sander had gone 9 feet, 6 inches and was in the third spot for state.

“I felt kind of guilty, kind of taking her place, just because it was all three of us as siblings, and it was kind of scary,” Kesley said. “Kind of had the pressure of competing with these two. But once we got there, it was such a fun experience just to be in the Howard Wood and state — arena, and I enjoyed it. It was super fun to just be there and jump.”

Kelsey Stiefel competes in the pole vault during the Douglas Early Bird on April 8 in Box Elder. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Kelsey said that’s when she started to enjoy it and joined her sisters in practicing year-round.

But it was the gymnastics foundation that all the girls say has made their transition to pole vault so successful.

“Having a gymnastics background is one of the best things you can have for pole vaulters, that air awareness and athleticness that comes from the sport,” Ciana said. “It teaches us how to fall and get back up again, which you gotta do a lot of falls too, because you always end on your misses. So it's also a lot of mental strength that gymnastics taught us, too.”

Investing in the event

Following Ciana’s sophomore year, she claimed her first state title with a vault of 12 feet, 8 inches — setting the SDHSAA state meet record at the time — the girls’ dad, Chris, decided to purchase a used pole vault pit to set up at their house to practice year-round.

A look at the family's pole vault pit set up outside on their property. (Photo courtesy Chris Stiefel)

Following her sophomore year, Ciana began competing in the USA Track and Field nationals in the summer.

Chris, who works in construction, drove down to Greeley with his trailer and hauled back the pit to their place. And created both an indoor elevated runway in their shop and a runway outside for the pit, too.

“We used it quite a bit during the summer, almost every day,” Ciana said.

As the girls learned the technical side of pole vaulting, Chris was learning just as much, if not more, as he would become their coach in the off-season.

“I feel like there are always moments. But for the most part, I really love having him as a coach and everything,” Ciana said. “It definitely has just as many advantages as it does disadvantages. Because he knows me pretty much better than anyone.”

During the summer, Chris and Breann would take their daughters to Colorado to take part in a pole vault clinic led by Pat Manson, a former Division I pole vaulter and the No. 1 pole vaulter in the world in 1996 and 1997.

“I didn't know anything about pole vault,” said Chris, who was a high jumper back in his day. “So I contribute all that to Pat Manson for sure.

“I've learned pretty much everything I know from him or online. With him, just listening to him, how he talks to the girls, and tries to get points across on doing different things. I really agree with his coaching style, starting with the basics and working your way up.”

Following last year, Ciana and Tenlee joined Ciana in taking part in Manson’s clinic. 

It was time learning from Pat in Colorado, but largely having their own pit and being able to practice year-round, that has led Kelsey and Tenley to make a nearly two-foot leap from last season to this year. In addition to competing in the USATF meet.

“A lot of people don't realize how much time and effort we put into this — all year round, and everyone can get there,” Chris said. “It's just you get out, what you put in type of deal. We just put in a lot more time and effort into it. And so it's definitely paying off.”

Final season together

With the 2025 season underway, Ciana, Kelsey and Tenlee are the only three girls pole vaulters to clear 12 feet this season.

Last season, Rylee Punt cleared 12 feet, 3.5 inches for Sioux Falls Christian. So far this year, Punt has gone 11 feet, 6 inches, competing for Sioux Falls Lincoln.

Spearfish’s Reese Nida also cleared 12 feet, 1 inch last season during her sophomore campaign. This season, the Spartan’s best performance thus far is 11 feet.

This season, Chris has stepped in as the pole vault coach for the Wildcats, coaching not only his daughters but also the rest of the team.

Now with Chris as their primary coach, Ciana serves almost as an assistant coach, especially for her sisters.

“Ciana can, like, calm me down,” Tenlee said. “She knows where I'm coming from if I'm upset about how I'm jumping or how I did jump, so she can calm me down in that aspect, but I would say probably just dad (is better) in the technique aspect and helping me just jump better.”

Chris Stiefel helps Tenlee with tape inbetween vaults during the Center of the Nation Invitational on Wednesday in Belle Fourche. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

“When dad's trying to say something, that's probably the biggest part is, dad will say something that doesn't quite make sense. He doesn't understand the event. But then sometimes I can take that and, like, relay that to them and in a sense that they would understand, since we all go through the same motions.”

For Chris, he said he’s seen a noticeable difference working with his daughters versus coaching the other vaulters.

“There's definitely a difference, for sure, if you're working with someone else's kid versus your own kid,” Chris said. “I'd say just the respect level is a little bit different, too. You know, you take things more for granted, and it's you talking with them, versus if they're talking with Pete or Pat Manson. So it makes it challenging at times. You know, there can be some attitude here and there, but we deal with it.”

Following her initial season-ending news to back to being able to vault, Ciana said she’s taking extra appreciation for her senior campaign.

That doesn’t mean she still doesn’t have expectations for herself.

“I'm just grateful I'm jumping,” Ciana said. “But yeah, definitely the three-peat is definitely what I'm going for, my main goal, and then state record.”

If she can, Ciana said she hopes to set the state record high enough that it would take her sisters a while to break it.

With Ciana in that top spot, Kelsey and Tenlee said they don’t really feel the pressure to try and win the gold. They let their sister handle that pressure while they get to focus on themselves.

“I kind of want (Ciana) to win just for her senior year, and then getting to win state three years in a row,” Kelsey said. “The only thing I really want is just have good meets, just jump high bars and get on better poles and just work on form. Wherever that places me, it places me, but just try and do my best for myself.”

Tenlee agrees.

“I don't have to worry about being first or whatever, because I know that (Ciana) is probably gonna take it,” Tenlee said. “And I'm so happy for her, and I hope that she gets it this year, because senior year and stuff, and she just deserves it all around.”