By Matt Gade 

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — For possibly the first time in South Dakota state high school track and field history, a group of siblings took 1-2-3 in an event.

The Stiefel sisters from Custer did just that on Friday in the Class A girls’ pole vault. 

Led by senior Ciana Stiefel, who claimed her third straight pole vaulting championship with a vault of 12-3.

Ciana’s younger siblings, Tenlee and Kelsey, cleared 11-9 to finish 2-3 in the event.

Tenlee edged her older sister Kelsey for second place, clearing the height on her first attempt, with Kelsey clearing it on her second.

“It’s a very emotional time,” Ciana said after stepping off the podium with the Class A medal. “Because I won’t be able to compete with them anymore.”

The 2025 season was a fun time for the Stiefel sisters, who have been training year-round in the pole vault with their own home pole vault pit to be as good as they are.

For most of the season, the sisters have gone back and forth in winning the pole vault competition, with Ciana as the more consistent one in the group.

Heading into the state track meet, Ciana and Tenlee, an eighth-grader, each cleared 12–6 this year. Kelsey, a sophomore, cleared 12-5 as her personal best.

Ciana set the Class A meet record of 12-9 a season ago.

“It was exciting,” Custer pole vault coach and the girls’ dad, Chris, said. “Like they’re always wanting those higher bars, really hoping for that PR today. But pole vault is full of ups and downs, peaks and valleys. So we'll take the 1-2-3.”

Ciana Stiefel hugs her dad, Chris, after competing in the girls Class A girls' pole vault during the second day of the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships on Friday at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Coming in with the top 3 marks in the pole vault, the girls said they felt the pressure but did their best not to let it get to them.

A season ago, Kelsey and Tenlee struggled at state, but the pair bounced back this year and made their marks early in the season to put the rest of the state on notice.

“I definitely think I was able to (handle the pressure),” Tenlee said about her performance at state. “But still kind of sucks not to have the day that I wanted but I still had a good meet at Howard Wood (Dakota Relays) to prove what I can do.”

Early on to start the vault competition, Tenlee struggled to clear her opening height at 10-9 before hitting it on her third attempt, but then sailed over 11-3 along with Ciana and Kelsey.

At 12-3, all the girls struggled with the height, but Ciana managed on her third attempt to clear the bar, securing her spot as the Class A state champion for a third time.

Ciana Stiefel, of Custer, clears 12-3 to win the Class A girls' pole vault during the second day of the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships on Friday at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

“Third attempt clears are always super nerve-wracking. I think I'd probably trip and fall if I was on the runway in front of 3000 people, but, yeah, definitely, it plays with the emotions,” Chris said.

After securing the win, Ciana decided to go for a new personal best, attempting 12-10.

After missing on her third attempt, despite cheers and support from the crowd and fellow vaulters, including Tenlee and Kelsey, Ciana was greeted by her sisters, immediately hugging and embracing her, knowing their time on the runway together was over.

“It means the world to me when everyone starts clapping, and I can tell, I just really feel it from the crowd,” Ciana said. 

Ciana Stiefel, of Custer, clears 12-3 to win the Class A girls' pole vault during the second day of the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships on Friday at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

“I don't want to think about it. I'll just start crying,” Tenlee said of not competing with Ciana anymore. “I'm not ready to be without her, I never have.”

Ciana, who is committed to pole vault at the University of South Dakota next year, said she was trying not to let it set in that she was done competing with her sisters after stepping off the podium.

“When I go off and see my family, it's probably gonna be an emotional fest,” Ciana said.

For now, Ciana said she’s going to enjoy her summer off. She said she won’t compete in the USATF this summer but isn’t sure about Nike Nationals yet.

“I’m just going to take the summer off, spend some time at the lake, and enjoy being a teenager,” Ciana said.