Arrow standout seeking to become school's first three-time AA boys' pole vault champion

WATERTOWN — It won't take a third-straight state Class AA championship to put Owen Spartz atop the list of the best high school boys' pole vaulters in Watertown High School track and field history.

The Arrow senior and University of South Dakota recruit already holds the school's all-time record in the event (15 feet, 9 inches), so it'd be more like an exclamation point if Spartz were to become the school's first boys vaulter with three state titles.

He'll attempt to do that in the opening day of the three-day South Dakota Track and Field Championships today (Thursday) at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. The Class AA boys' pole vault is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and likely won't be completed until well into the evening.

"Owen is willing to risk everything. He's willing to risk failure for success," Watertown's Casey Feininger, with a reputation of one of the state's best coaches in the event, said. "It's been a struggle this spring working through the poles with him. He's too fast for all of our pole but one and last week we had a breakthrough with that. We've had the past week to figure the pole out for real."

Watertown's strong history in the event

The Arrows have fared pretty well in the pole vault through the years, with a vast majority of that success coming since Feininger started coaching the event here in 2003. Success has come not only with the boys, but also with the girls. The girls' pole vault in South Dakota was held in the state meet for the first time in 1997.

Under Feininger's leadership, Leslie Brost (2006-2008) and Brittany Stangl (2010-12) each won three state girls' Class AA championships before continuing their success at North Dakota State University, Whitney Scott also won in 2017 before competing at Black Hills State and Alayna Falak, a current University of South Dakota vaulter who won the state AA title in 2019.

Josh Sandvik won back-to-back AA boys' titles in 2001 and 2002 before Feininger arrived and helped coach state champions Jesse Morrow (2008), Drew Danforth (2009), Colton Jordan (2013 and 2014) and Spartz (2022-23), among others.

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"I jumped in high school and did one indoor meet in college before I started coaching that spring at my old high school," said Feininger. "I learned by doing. I started out on a straight pole my freshman year and just kind of learned the sport."

Feininger said he had ideas of what he wanted to do when he started the coach the sport but really turned up his focus after coming to Watertown.

"I was successful but I wasn't very good until I came to Watertown and saw kids who needed more than an average coach. That's when I really started to do my research," he said.

Before Owen, there was another Spartz

That's right, Owen's older brother Noah came through Feininger's pole-vault factory in Watertown in the mid-2010s and became a three-time state place winner in the event, highlighted by state runner-up finishes in both 2016 and 2017.

Jack and Trish Spartz were high school athletes at Grant-Deuel High School in Revillo where Jack competed in football, basketball and track and Trish in basketball and track. Neither had any experience in the pole vault until Noah tried it and excelled.

"He vaulted for six years. I'd go to the all the meets and my parents and grandparents would ask me if I was going to do it," Owen Spartz said. "I was always fascinated with it and did want to try it so I did as a seventh-grader."

Older brother Noah took his talents to North Dakota State and competed for one year before getting hurt and stepping away from the sport. Younger brother Owen was still undecided about what he was going to do when he entered Watertown High School as a freshman.

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"Coach Feininger emailed me and told me I better come out," he said. "I went 13-9 (finished third in state) as a freshman and fell in love with it from there. I've been working my butt off ever since."

Feininger added: "There was just something about this kid. I've been doing this so long that I know when I have a kid who can do something. If they buy into the system, they're going to get good results. I saw that in him."

As a sophomore, Owen eclipsed his brother's school record of 15-2 and captured his first state title. He kept adding to the record, clearing 15-9 as a junior (a mark he tied just last week in a meet at Brandon) and added another state title.

"There's that rivalry competition between brothers and I always wanted to beat my brother," Owen Spartz said. "The success that came as a freshman got me thinking that maybe I could actually do somethign with this. Maybe I can get a scholarship? I've always dreamed big."

Hey, he's got some athletic ability

It's likely some 20-30 years down the road, that Spartz will be best remembered for all of the pole vault success he's had in track and field.

It's, however, not the only sport he's had success in. He was a four-year member of Watertown High School's football team, a pretty talented defensive back who also had his moments as a running back and kick returner. He also wrestled for the Arrows.

Spartz isn't a slow-poke and his speed, which could have been used in a variety of events in track and field, also is a definite benefit in his favorite event.

It doesn't hurt that he's learned from his favorite coach.

"He's the best high school coach in the state, there's no doubt about that in my mind," Spartz said. "He's not only taught me to be a good vaulter but also a good person. That's just kind of the culture he brings to the pole vault. We're going to have fun and we'll have times where we're going to screw around, but we're also here to see how good you can become."

An underdog in his final state meet

What makes Spartz's quest for a third-straight state Class AA title in the event is that he actually isn't the favorite heading into Thursday's competition.

Harrisburg senior Beau Karst has defeated Spartz in three head-to-head meeting this spring, including the Howard Wood Dakota Relays and the Eastern South Dakota Conference meet. A state runner-up last spring, Karst prevented Spartz from winning the conference title for a third-straight year and will try to do the same at the state meet.

Even more interesting is that Spartz and Karst will soon to be teammates at the University of South Dakota.

"Off the runway, we are friends," Spartz said. "But when it comes to competing, we both know how to compete against each other. This year's, he's gotten the better of me. I might need to change that at state."

Spartz spent much of the past two years trying to top the all-time state record of 16 feet, 1.5 inches that was set by Wagner's Jaden Peters in 2021. Peters now competes at South Dakota State.

Last Monday, when Spartz tied his own school record with his best vault (15-9) of the season in a meet at Brandon, it was Karst who cleared 16-3 to put his name on top of the state's all-time record book.

In the end, what will matter is who vaults the best on Thursday.

"My focus is always this meet. When we start training in February, the training is all about getting ready for state," Feininger said. "Every other meet is just competitive practice. The workouts are written and the training is for this week. They're set up to strategically align at state."

The sky's the limit for a pole vaulter

The good news for Spartz and even for Karst, who deserves a ton of credit for all the strides he has made this season to perform like the state's best vaulter, is that Thursday isn't the end for them in the event.

They're both headed to USD to compete for Derek Miles, a Tea (S.D.) native who vaulted at USD before becoming a three-time Olympian and a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist. He's spent the past two decades on more coaching vaulters at USD and is considered one of best pole vault coaches in the world.

"You always want it to keep going. You never want to give up something you love," Spartz said. "It was hard to say goodbye to football and it'll be hard to say goodbye to track. It's just hard to say goodbye to anything."

Spartz said he visited Iowa and North Dakota State on recruiting visits and like both schools, but couldn't resist the pitch from Miles and the school that is known in these parts as "Pole Vault U."

Brost spent a number of years after college pursuing her Olympic dream in the pole vault and fellow Watertown graduate and former Northern State standout Tanner Berg is now doing the same in the men's weight throw.

Feininger says he won't rule out anything with Spartz.

"I still think Owen is really raw. He's been very gifted with his athletic ability and he's been able to piece that with what I've given him," Feininger said. "I definitely think you're see some develoipment these next four years. He's got the speed and the stretch to do it. Just give him some time and he's going to bomb big."

Spartz is ready for whatever comes his way.

"We'll see what happens, only the future will tell," he said. "I'll just keep grinding, see what God gives me and keep going."

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Feature on Watertown High School senior pole vaulter Owen Spartz