Noah Zastrow had to wait nearly two years, but the UW-Stout senior claimed the NCAA Division III pole vault title May 27 at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championship at North Carolina A & T State University. 

Zastrow has been the top-ranked pole vaulter since the 2020 indoor season, but that season, along with the 2020 outdoor season, was canceled due to the pandemic. Stout did compete during the 2021 indoor season, but the NCAA canceled the indoor championship. 

Zastrow cleared 16-feet, 8.75-inches to claim the prize, and won the title on fewer misses, matching the same height as Ithaca's Dominic Mikula. Passes among the three top finishers, including freshman Ben Drummey who finished third, played into the final standing.

Zastrow passed until 16-4.75 (5.00m), while Mikula and Drummey worked their way up the ladder. Mikula's first miss came at  16-2.75 (4.95m), which he made on his second attempt, and Zastrow and Drummey missed on their first two attempts at 16-4.75, but made the height on their third jumps. Mikula missed on his first attempt at 16-4.75, but cleared the bar on his second attempt.

Drummey made the next height, 16-6.75 (5.05m) on his first jump, but Zastrow and Mikula passed to 16-8.75 (5.10m), while Drummey passed to 17-0.75 (5.20m). Zastrow made 16-8.75 on his first attempt, while Mikula missed on the first attempt, but came back to clear on his second. Zastrow passed at  16-10.75 (5.15m), but Mikula went out, setting up a showdown at 17-0.75, which both vaulters missed on three consecutive jumps. Because Drummey's last made height was 16-6.75, that became his final mark. Zastrow and Mikula tied at 16-8.75, with Zastrow having one less miss at 16-8.75 to claim the national title. 

Zastrow became the first pole vault champion for the Blue Devils, becoming Stout's 12th national champion and earned the 22nd track individual national trophy for the Blue Devil program.