Chaska's Schmidt Tied for Second in State
- Chaska's Joshua Schmidt vaulted to a mark tying him for the state's second-best early-season performance in 2026. - Cambridge-Isanti's Piescher set the state lead, while Schmidt shares the No.2 spot behind Piescher. - The performances give early-season momentum that may affect Mississippi 8 Conference rankings and postseason expectations (hometownsource.com).
Joshua Schmidt of Chaska opened Minnesota’s outdoor boys pole vault season tied for the No. 2 mark in the state after another 16-foot-plus clearance in April. (hometownsource.com) Cambridge-Isanti senior Calvin Piescher moved to No. 1 statewide at 16 feet, 5 inches at the Shakopee Relays on April 16, according to Hometown Source and Athletic.net’s Minnesota AAA rankings. Athletic.net listed Piescher’s 5.00-meter clearance as the state-leading outdoor mark as of this week. (hometownsource.com) (athletic.net) Hometown Source reported Schmidt shares the No. 2 spot behind Piescher, giving Chaska an early-season entry near the top of the statewide list before most conference and section meets begin in May. Schmidt’s 2026 indoor best was 15 feet, 9 inches at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit in Reno on Jan. 17, according to World Athletics and Athletic.net. (hometownsource.com) (worldathletics.org) (athletic.net) Pole vault results tend to shift quickly in April because many of Minnesota’s biggest outdoor meets are still ahead on the calendar. Athletic.net’s statewide listings for 2026 show only a handful of mid-April invitationals posted so far, including the April 16 Shakopee Relays. (athletic.net 1) (athletic.net 2) That matters for postseason seeding and for team scoring, because a single elite vaulter can swing points at conference, section and state meets. The Mississippi 8 Conference calendar shows Cambridge-Isanti’s league schedule already underway in April, with the conference championship season approaching next month. (mississippi8.org) Schmidt is not coming from nowhere. He won the 2025 Minnesota State High School League Class AAA title at 16 feet, 6 inches, a full foot ahead of runner-up Piescher, and the league’s meet recap said he then took three attempts at 17 feet. (mshsl.org 1) (mshsl.org 2) The two seniors also sit high on Minnesota’s class record lists. MN Prep Track’s all-time class rankings list Schmidt at 16-6 and Piescher at 16-6 on the junior list from 2025, with Piescher also holding the sophomore class record at 16-1 from 2024. (mnpreptrack.com) For now, the early board is simple: Piescher owns the top outdoor mark at 16-5, and Schmidt is right behind him as the Minnesota season moves deeper into late April. (athletic.net) (hometownsource.com)
