Howard product Madison Kizer reaches new heights in final flourish as SDSU high jumper

May 8—BROOKINGS — As Madison Kizer's college high jump career winds down, the bar is headed in the opposite direction.

Heading into this week's Summit League track and field championships, the South Dakota State senior and Howard High School product is fresh off a personal best performance and is carrying ample confidence into her final conference championship meet.

Prior to April 24, Kizer had never cleared a height over 1.71 meters (5 feet, 7.25 inches) in her outdoor jumping career and had an overall personal best of 1.75 meters (5-8.75) from the 2023 indoor season.

But with a single leap at the Mount Marty Twilight meet in Yankton, Kizer set a new standard by clearing 1.76 meters (5-9.25), placing her in sole possession of the No. 2 ranking in the Summit League entering the conference championships hosted May 9-11 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"It's pretty crazy. I wasn't expecting my senior year to go quite as well as it is, but I'm very excited to be ranked No. 2 and I'm really hoping to go get a conference title," Kizer said. "I'm going in with a lot of confidence and excitement since it's my last conference championship (meet)."

Though the path hasn't always been straightforward — SDSU jumps coach David St. John recalls a meet early in Kizer's career during which she suffered a severe concussion that sidelined her for the remainder of the season and then some — Kizer has steadily climbed the conference leaderboards during her time as a Jackrabbit.

"(She) came in a wide-eyed freshman who didn't know what to expect, and we really didn't know what to expect any given meet either. But she's matured and done really well for herself," St. John said. "High jump is an event in which you see improvement in very small increments, and she's done well with that. Now she's at the top of the conference and in the first round of the NCAAs, so that's about as good as you can expect."

In six prior Summit League championship meets between indoor and outdoor competitions, Kizer has placed in the top-eight five times. In the most recent three — both indoor and outdoor in 2023 and indoor earlier this year — she's placed no lower than fourth. But if she were to polish off her Summit League resume with a gold medal, it would be nothing short of a dream come true.

"It would mean the absolute world to me," Kizer said. "I've been doing this since I was a seventh-grader and to earn that title of conference champion, that would be the best cherry on top to my collegiate career.

"I've gone above and beyond what I ever thought I could do," she added. "I came in jumping 5-4 and was a little twig. ... I never would've dreamed I'd be in the position that I am right now."

With the indoor and outdoor seasons rolling from one into the other, Kizer admits that the entire campaign can start to feel long toward the end. As such, she believes it's important to maintain a positive mindset.

"I think it's good to have a mentality that this (high jump) is one of my greatest talents and I'm blessed to do it for as long as I can," Kizer said. "Having this sport for me throughout the entire year — indoor and outdoor — it keeps me on top of things and keeps me happy."

And according to St. John, he doesn't have to worry much about Kizer continuing to have fun with the sport despite the grind.

"That's just Madison. There's no better way to describe it because I'd take up too much of the paper," St. John said with a laugh. "Everyone has their quirks, and she wears hers on her sleeve. She's an awesome person and an awesome teammate."

Having earned her undergraduate degree in psychology, Kizer participated in SDSU's graduation ceremonies last weekend. She's applied to the graduate school psychology program at the University of South Dakota and is anxiously waiting to hear back. But first, there are just a few more matters to handle in yellow and blue.

As Kizer's final trip to the Summit League championships looms — and with her first venture to the NCAA championship first round set to follow (the West Region competes May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas) — she's focused on fulfilling a goal while soaking in the final moments of her high jump career.

"There's a lot of emotion going into this final Summit League Championship, but I'm very excited because this year has gone so well and I'm looking to finish on a high note," Kizer said. "I know it's going to be really bittersweet however it goes, however it ends. I'm just looking forward to competing with my teammates one last time."