VERMILLION — Derek Miles hasn’t spent much time sifting through the parallels between his pole vaulting career and the program he’s spent the last 20-plus years building at the University of South Dakota, but they are impossible to overlook.

Miles was by no means the flashiest, most talented vaulter during his decade-long foray as an international competitor. Instead, he paved his way through hard work, establishing a level of consistency that continues to accompany him as a teacher of his craft.

On the heels of his 23rd season as a coach, Miles now holds the title of associate director of track and field/jumps at his alma mater, and during that time, USD has emerged as one of the premier vault programs in the country.

Since transitioning to Division I in 2011, the Coyotes have sent more than 60 pole vaulters to the NCAA preliminary round. Meanwhile, four national titles and 40 All-America honors have been achieved during that span.

It’s a model of consistency that mirrors its leader in Miles, whose 10 years as an international vaulter resulted in three trips to the Olympic Games and six world championship teams.

For Miles, consistency is rooted in his own foundation as a vaulter. As a competitor, he trained under the legendary Earl Bell, a three-time Olympian and bronze medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, while working alongside some of the best pole vaulters in the country.

All these years later, that same knowledge and approach has enabled Miles to build a powerhouse vault program in Vermillion.

“I think the same foundation probably exists in our program, where we start with fundamentals in the first year of understanding how to run down the runway correctly and the importance of having consistency while you’re running down the runway and hitting the same marks so that you know what’s going to happen at the take-off,” Miles said. “And then it’s about having the foundational knowledge that Earl gave me in terms of the right pole, right grip, right standards, all these things that keep vaulters safe when they jump but also give them lots of reps down the runway. It allows them to learn a lot throughout the process.

“The more they learn, the more consistently they’re able to stay healthy, and the chances are they’re going to be able to achieve repeatable things.”

A native of Citrus Heights, California, Miles was a five-time All-American pole vaulter at the Division II level for USD. He claimed a bronze medal for his performance in the pole vault at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 13 years later, he was the guiding hand behind former USD star Chris Nilsen’s silver-medal vault at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Miles was inducted into the Henry Heider Memorial Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in the fall of 2006, and in 2013, he was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association DII Hall of Fame.

“I think he’s one of the best pole vault coaches in the world,” said Lucky Huber, who has been at the helm of the Yotes’ track and cross country programs for the past 17 years. “I just think he does an amazing job, and part of that, as you look at great athletes, not every great athlete can go on to become a great coach. But Derek wasn’t necessarily a great athlete. He was someone who had to work really hard and be very consistent and pay the price.

“By going through that process of really developing, he’s been able to transition that into his great coaching.”

USD Athletics

Beyond his knowledge as a coach, Miles is revered by his students for his benevolence as a human being. Many of them view him as a father figure who refuses to allow the sting of failure to affect their confidence on the runway.

“I think that falls into place for a lot of things in life. If something doesn’t go quite right, he doesn’t get rattled,” said Emily Grove, a former six-time All-American vaulter at USD who has gone on to compete internationally. “He just thinks of a way to go around it and knows everything is going to be OK if you just keep working hard.”

Today, Miles lives in Tea, where his wife, Tori, has been the head coach of the Titans’ girls track and field team for the last 17 years. Their son, Ariston, is now 11 years old, and while the dynamic of their family has certainly changed, so has Miles’ approach to the sport he loves.

The 52-year-old coach no longer feels as if he has something to prove, removing the weight of personal expectations in order to allow his wealth of knowledge to flourish.

“He had guidance as he was progressing through his career,” said Jesse Haines, a former multi-eventer at USD who now serves as manager of Sanford Sports Performance. “He went down to Arkansas for a while, which was a world-class facility that really elevated his vault technique.

“He has Olympic medals in his pocket. It’s just things he’s been through. He’s seen it, and he does a great job of passing on that knowledge to the next generation.”

USD Athletics

USD pole vaulting’s rise mirrors the steady career of its humble architect

Despite growing up in California, Miles’ journey to South Dakota was perhaps inevitable.

His parents, John and Vicki, were originally from South Dakota. John grew up in Watertown before attending the South Dakota School of Mines, while Vicki was raised in Lennox before eventually enrolling at USD.

After college, John and Vicki settled in California, where John worked at California State University, Sacramento, overseeing a number of computer programs in the state-based higher education system.

While attending Bella Vista High School in the suburbs of Sacramento, Derek competed in the pole vault but was never able to qualify for the state meet, so his options after high school were essentially non-existent.

His father had always kept close ties to his home state and had long admired the blue-collar lifestyle, persuading Derek to pursue opportunities outside of California and going so far as to make a phone call to Dave Gottsleben, who oversaw the USD men’s track and field team at the time, to see if he’d be willing to recruit his son or allow him to be a part of the team in some capacity.

“Coach Gottsleben was the only one who really talked to me or called me. He was really my only option if I really wanted to pole vault,” Miles said. “My dad really didn’t want me to go to Cal State, Sacramento. He wanted me to go out and have a different experience and have an athletic experience, so I think that’s kind of how it originated to go to school there.”

At the time, Huber, a former pole vaulter himself, was working as a graduate assistant under Gottsleben and was looking for students to mentor.

Miles’ arrival signaled the start of something special. Thirty-four years later, the two coaches have become best friends.

“The two of us have kind of challenged each other throughout our whole career together in order to get better and push and look toward the next great thing we can do,” Huber said. “I don’t think he or I have ever let the University of South Dakota or Vermillion seem like it’s a spot where we can’t be successful, and I think that’s part of what makes our program so special.

“It’s the people who do it, and he’s a big part of that.”

Along with vaulting, Miles also competed in the long jump, triple jump and decathlon during his time at USD. By the time he graduated, he had added about six inches and 45 pounds to his body, culminating in a 6-foot-3, 194-pound frame.

“There was definitely a lot of physical maturity and development that took place in college,” Miles said, “but having Lucky invest the time and the effort into working with me and helping me to try and get a little bit better every year was key.”

The development process was arduous for Miles. As a freshman, he was unable to jump his high school PR, but after a big sophomore leap, Miles continued to make strides in the pole vault.

As a senior, Miles was consistently clearing 17 feet in the vault when he began mulling what was next. He knew graduate school was on the horizon but wasn’t sure whether or not his undergraduate degree in history was going to lead him down the teaching path. Then, at the last minute, he opted for an athletic-minded graduate degree, pursuing a master’s in athletic administration that opened the door for him to become a graduate assistant for the track team.

By 1997, Miles had jumped 18 feet, and somehow, he managed to sneak his way into the USA championships alongside Chad Harting, another collegiate vaulter who trained at an elite-level facility in Arkansas known as Bell Athletics.

“That’s where I was introduced for the first time to Earl Bell,” Miles said. “At the time, he was training Olympians and world record-holders and just had a whole stable of guys and gals who were jumping really well and making Olympic teams. It was just a really cool spot.

“Meeting this guy named Chad really opened the door of communication with Earl and being a part of that group.”

Nate Barrett Photography

Miles finds the blueprint for high-level training in Arkansas

After receiving his grad degree, Miles worked for several years as an academic advisor at USD, but during that time, he drove to Arkansas once a month to train at Bell Athletics for several days. Within the first year of doing that, he managed to qualify for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Then, around 2001, Miles jumped 19 feet for the first time in his career, prompting him to make the decision to move to Jonesboro and train with Bell on a full-time basis.

Learning from Bell offered Miles a unique self-exploration project in which he sought out ways to improve in all aspects of his life.

Bell Athletics

For Miles, it was a pole vaulting laboratory unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He was exposed to the daily regimen of Olympians like Jeff Hartwig, the American record-holder at the time who operated much like “a self-employed business.”

“He was so specific and committed and detailed,” Miles said about Hartwig. “Even everything down to how he traveled and why he used a roller bag instead of a backpack, they were these little things that, over time, I learned as I tried to figure out what I could apply to myself and what I couldn’t.”

For about five years, Miles worked in academic advising at Arkansas State while training under Bell. He admits it took some time to learn why the legendary coach would train him differently than other elite vaulters like Hartwig, Harting or Tye Harvey, all of whom excelled on the world stage, but the understanding of those differences — the strengths and weaknesses of each individual athlete — ended up becoming a foundational piece of his coaching endeavors.

“Over those 10 years of working with Earl and being on the circuit, I think it’s given me a lot of information on why things work for certain athletes and why they don’t with others,” Miles said. “Those experiences are what I think I’ve leaned into the most with my coaching.”

In 2004, Miles placed seventh in the pole vault at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, after clearing a height of 18 feet, 10 1/2 inches (5.75 meters). He placed third in the vault later that year at the World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo, Monaco, before taking fifth in the same event a year later, but in 2008, Miles’ career reached its high mark, beginning with a first-place jump of 19-0 1/4 (5.80 meters) at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

That set the stage for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Miles took fourth in the vault with a clearance of 18-8 1/4 (5.70 meters). He was later awarded the bronze medal in 2017 after the original third-place finisher, Denys Yurchenko of Ukraine, was disqualified due to a doping violation.

Miles then added to his stellar season in September 2008 in Germany, where he set a personal best in the vault (19-2 1/2) at an exhibition event in Berlin and earned a gold medal (19-0 1/4) at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.

“I jumped higher in Athens and got seventh. I jumped lower in Beijing and got fourth, but that’s the thing — you have to be consistent enough in all the meets you go to in order to give yourself chances,” Miles said. “That’s kind of the strength that maybe I learned at Earl’s.”

Nate Barrett Photography

Gradually, coaching takes over as Miles transitions from athlete to mentor

After taking seventh at the 2004 Olympics, Miles began to notice that fellow Americans Tim Mack and Toby Stevenson — both of whom claimed gold and silver, respectively, in the pole vault — had achieved their success through an all-in approach to their training.

At the time, Miles was still working full-time at ASU while training on the side, so in 2006, he had quit his job as an advisor and “went nuts on training.”

“I just trained because I could, and I ended up with a stress fracture in my tibia that I just couldn’t shake,” Miles said. “I spent all of 2006 trying to jump and compete through a stress fracture that really just came about because of over-training, and at the end of ‘06, I struggled.

“I took a bunch of time off and then decided it just wasn’t healing.”

After consulting with a number of reputable doctors, Miles eventually went with a doctor in Alabama who installed a rod in his leg, allowing his stress fracture to properly heal. His road to recovery was long, but in August 2007, he was cleared to return to vaulting.

Miles, who was in his mid-30s at the time, knew his physical ability was going to be the key to prolonging his athletic career, so he opted to return to South Dakota, where he trained with Huber to get his body back up to speed.

“Lucky had always done my physical training, and Earl had always done the technical stuff,” Miles said. “I felt like I had a good understanding of the technical stuff, but I really needed to work on the physical stuff.”

While training with Huber, Miles helped out as an assistant coach for the Yotes, working with the long jumpers and triple jumpers. Sam Pribyl was coaching the pole vaulters at the time and was excelling in his role, but over the next few years, Miles’ role continued to expand.

Then, in 2012, Miles officially retired as a pole vaulter and went on to become a full-time assistant for the Coyotes.

“It was just this gradual thing where I was involved and then coaching a little bit more. Then, by 2009 or 2012, I started recruiting a little bit,” Miles said. “I recruited Bethany Buell during that time … and even Emily Grove. I was still part-time coaching, but I recruited them to be a part of the program, knowing that at some point I was going to probably retire and become a full-time coach.

“It just kind of gradually became pretty heavy vaulting and very little coaching, and then, over four or five years, it slowly teetered to the opposite side, where I was doing mostly coaching and winding down my career.”

When Miles returned to Vermillion, USD was beginning to transition to the Division I level, during which Gottsleben and Huber were diligently committed to finding something within their program that could put the university on the map.

“Coach Gottsleben and I convinced coach Miles it was time to go into his coaching career, and he then just kind of ran with it and built it. But it was very purposeful that we wanted to be this great,” Huber said. “We committed the resources to being great, and then he brought in the athletes.

“We’ve tried to do everything we can to support him and all of our athletes so that they can compete at such a high level.”

Aaron Packard / USD Athletics

Miles values character, growth potential and fit above all else

While pole vaulting is widely considered the most high-risk event in track and field, it is also one of the more puzzling events to project whether or not athletes will be able to succeed in their transition from high school to college. In fact, Miles’ own journey to the Olympic stage is perhaps the perfect example of that unpredictability.

Recruiting has become an annual chore for the longtime vault coach, but over the years, Miles has undoubtedly instituted a winning method.

“I think what I look at, first and foremost, is the kid I’m recruiting,” Miles said. “Who are they as a person? Are they someone who’s going to come into the program and make the program better despite what they jump? I think that’s where I start.”

From there, talent comes into play. Among potential recruits with high character, Miles then identifies those who were successful enough in high school that they are able to regularly travel with the team and enjoy a true college experience.

“Somewhere in there, there are some performances in high school that matter a little bit,” Miles said, “but it’s secondary in relation to the type of person they are.”

The final recruiting element Miles focuses on is finding individuals who he believes can grow in the sport. These are vaulters who show promise and room to improve or are clearing high marks but haven’t quite grasped exactly how they’re doing it.

Adam Pearson / USD Athletics

A prime example of this type of recruit is Tre Young, who was recognized as the 2025 Summit League Field Athlete of the Year following a stellar senior season.

Miles recalls a home visit with Young’s family on the recruiting trail in which he observed a family structure that led him to believe he would fit in well with his program.

“Tre was a really interesting case, too, because he was one of about 22 or 23 in his family,” Miles said about Young, who was also recently named the 2025 Sioux Falls Live Men’s Track/Cross Country College Athlete of the Year. “I did a home visit with him, and I think 19 of the kids in the family were adopted. So here’s the really interesting dynamic of a family that’s helping people, and about six or seven of them were special needs kids.

“To me, that was intriguing. This was a family that was willing to take in these kids and provide a home, and Tre was a pretty athletic dude but just needed something of similar support. I thought he could be good. When it connects, it connects, and you kind of know.”

Grove recalls the first time she met Miles at the 2010 Gill Factory Vault in Champaign, Illinois. The native of Pontiac, Illinois, was a junior in high school at the time and had watched Miles compete in the elite competition. Not long after, Miles approached the young vaulter during her jump, instructing her to grasp the inch of grip near the top of the pole.

“I’m like, ‘Are you sure I can do that?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s fine,’” said Grove, who was a two-time state champion and former state record-holder in the pole vault at Pontiac Township High School. “Then I made the bar, and it was super mind-blowing to me.

“He got my contact information for recruiting stuff, and it kind of took off from there.”

Dan Musilek / Summit League

Despite being a bit undersized, Grove was an intuitive pole vaulter, and her desire to get better outweighed any physical disadvantages. She made an immediate impact as a freshman, placing seventh at the NCAA Championships with a vault of 13-11. In total, she earned four top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships during her collegiate career.

Since graduating from USD in 2017, Grove continues to shine on the international stage, with Miles by her side every step of the way.

“Derek has truly been the key to my success,” Grove said. “He’s a great mentor at life and on the track. He’s just super down to earth, calm. I can’t say enough good things about the guy. He’s kind of like my second dad at this point.

“We have a fantastic relationship. I respect him because if I don’t look good, he’s not going to tell me I look good, so then I can work on what I can do to make myself become a better athlete or a better person. … It doesn’t matter what you jump, that guy will be there for you.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Of course, no athlete in the history of the program — or perhaps the university at large — has gone on to elevate the Coyotes’ brand more than Nilsen, who set a national high school record in the vault with a clearance of 18-4 3/4 (5.61 meters) before he ever stepped foot on campus.

Nilsen was introduced to Miles after winning his first of two state championships in the vault as a junior at Park Hill High School (Kansas City, Missouri). Then, later that summer, when the recruiting window officially opened for the rising senior, Nilsen received a call from Miles, who was eager to show him what USD had to offer.

While being recruited, Nilsen talked to coaches from a number of established Power Five programs, but Miles’ messaging differed greatly in the sense that he was more invested in the individual rather than how many points he could potentially provide on the national stage.

“I was like, ‘Done,’” Nilsen said. “That’s all I’ve really wanted in a coach is someone who I can relate to and who can help me out in both life and in pole vaulting.

“I came here to South Dakota, and that’s kind of been the rest of it. I met my wife my senior year of college, and now we’re just living life.”

Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

During his four years at South Dakota, Nilsen was a six-time All-American and a three-time NCAA champion in the vault. He was a silver medalist in the pole vault at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and has claimed three medals at the World Championships.

“I think that’s what we have become is if you’re kind of psycho about pole vaulting and are willing to move to South Dakota to explore how good you can be, then I know you’re going all in,” Miles said. “I think that’s why the program has experienced some success is because these kids are willing to give up some things and move to this place to do this. When you have that type of work ethic and commitment, you’re bound to be successful even if I screw up or don’t know what I’m doing. The odds are pretty good.

“I think you take a little bit of Earl Bell’s mentoring and years in the sport and combine that with the work ethic and commitment that these kids have, and I think that’s kind of the magic of our program or at least my conceptual idea for the program.”

Thomas Hatzenbuhler / USD Athletics

A vaulting vision built on patience and purpose

Buell was a junior in 2013 when she became the Yotes’ first Division I national champion in the pole vault, and since then, the program has continued to ascend.

Just last season, freshman Anna Willis and senior Gen Hirata each earned All-America honors in the vault, finishing fourth and seventh, respectively, at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. A week later, Willis, who was recently tabbed as the 2025 Sioux Falls Live Women’s Track/Cross Country College Athlete of the Year, earned another national honor when she took first at the USA Track & Field Under 20 Championship.

But Miles isn’t only fixated on the successes of his top vaulters. He wants all of his athletes to be successful regardless of where they stack up among the group.

“It’s that passion to not necessarily see someone jump high but to see someone jump higher than they did before and keep improving and keep getting better,” Huber said. “His passion is part of it.

“He’s very intelligent. He’s had a lot of opportunities to bring together a lot of different pole vault experiences and to develop his own type of pole vaulting style that he feels really comfortable teaching.”

Both Grove and Nilsen continue to help coach the pole vaulters at USD when needed, and throughout the years, their relationship with Miles has evolved dramatically.

“It used to be kind of like a father figure, and then it turned into a fun uncle. And then it turned into big brother who’s kind of annoying sometimes,” Nilsen said with a laugh. “But hey, that’s what happens when you spend almost a decade with the guy.

“For us, it’s a professional relationship that is kept very lively and light, and it’s really worked out so far.”

Miles recognizes the responsibility thrust on him as a coach who’s responsible for his athletes’ development as young adults. Whether it’s on the track or in the classroom, there’s a certain level of accountability that’s required of him to ensure that attention is being given to all aspects of their lives.

For Miles, it all stems back to his time at Bell Athletics, where excellence became an entrenched expectation in his own journey through life.

“I think you have to have those kinds of life-teaching moments or mentoring or whatever you want to call it throughout college with every kid,” Miles said. “They’re always different, and I think that’s maybe where the father-figure thing comes into play. It’s just part of the job as a college coach to not only coach but to also get you through college, to get a degree, become a creative thinker and problem-solver and a contributor to society.

“I think that’s what I’m trying to do in these kids’ experiences is to move them through these parts of life.”

As the Yotes’ track program continues to elevate itself, the athletics administration has held up its end of the bargain as well.

Renovations to the east side of the DakotaDome, which includes the creation of a new indoor track facility, are sure to be a game-changer for the program. More detailed plans are expected to be unveiled this summer.

“I think when our administration, whether it’s President [Sheila] Gestring or President [James] Abbott, look at our track program, they know that there’s a group of coaches that are hardworking and are going to get the most out of their kids, love coaching and love recruiting kids to come to USD to have that experience of being able to be great, whether that’s in pole vaulting or running or jumping or throwing,” Huber said. “Derek’s the one who kind of sets that standard for all of us.”

For years now, Miles says he’s received offers to leave USD for other opportunities, but strong support from administrators and the chance to coach alongside his best friend mean too much to him.

“You cannot find a more supportive university to be able to do this stuff,” Miles said. “To get my Olympic medal, Senator [John] Thune got involved and tracked it down and got the medal for me. These things don’t happen outside the state of South Dakota and outside the University of South Dakota.

“For me, it’s a no-brainer. Now, I can go in and recruit who I want to recruit. I can get all the support I need. If it’s raining at the conference meet, we’ll set up the pole vault inside and have a meet where like eight of my kids PR at. It’s just a phenomenal experience, and I think the more I get excited about it, the more desire I have to stay and be a part of it.”

Thomas Hatzenbuhler / USD Athletics

In a sport often defined by flashes of brilliance and record-breaking moments, Miles has built his legacy on something less glamorous but more enduring: consistency.

Miles points to athletes like Grove, Hirata and Marleen Mülla as examples of his philosophy in action. They may not have been national champions, but they consistently reached national meets and performed at an All-American level. His coaching focus has always been on long-term development rather than short-term results.

The outcomes have been staggering. USD’s pole vault program keeps climbing — bar by bar, jump by jump.

“It’s really kind of an unshakeable process that he’s built in making a good culture at USD,” Nilsen said. “He knows what he’s doing, and he knows how to do it. He knows how to relate to every single kid. He cares about every single kid. I feel like that’s kind of the X-factor he’s had that not every coach has because you can learn how to write training, learn how to teach pole vaulting, watch as many videos and teach as many kids as you want, but if you don’t have that X-factor that he has, which is building a culture both around himself and around USD as a pole vault entity, then it’s not going to work as well as Derek has.

“He very much has been an X-factor in that realm.”