EUGENE, Ore. –- University of South Dakota graduate Derek Miles qualified for the 2009 World Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday with a second-place finish in the pole vault at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Miles, a 1996 USD graduate and two-time U.S. Olympian, finished in a tie for second with Jeremy Scott in the event after clearing a height of 5.75 (18-10 1/4). All four top finishers cleared the winning height, with the finishing order being determined by the number of misses by each athlete. Brad Walker, who like Miles was also a 2008 Olympian, won the event.

The 2009 World Outdoor Championships are set for Berlin, Germany on Aug. 15-23.

Miles, currently an assistant coach on the USD track and field staff, finished fourth in the pole vault at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. He also competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and was the IAAF 2008 World Athletics Champion.

Miles was inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1996 and a master’s degree in athletic administration in 1998 from USD.
*Courtesy: USD Sports Information