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Shepler failed to qualify for last season’s state meet when he did not clear a height in his three attempts at regionals. He passed on the opening heights and entered the competition at 14 feet, 2 inches. Last Saturday, Shepler soared past that when he won the Up and Running Invitational at Troy High School with 15-7, setting an outdoor personal best.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good outdoor meet,” Shepler said. “Last spring was horrible.”
Much like that sunny sky last week, things are looking brighter for Shepler. He set an indoor PR at the New Balance Nationals high school meet on March 9 in New York. Shepler cleared 16-05.5 to finish fourth in the nation. Colorado’s Max Manson won with 17.05.5.
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That’s a height Shepler hopes to hit during the outdoor season.
“Outdoor is a little different,” said Jamie Shepler, Butler’s pole vault coach and Dalton’s father. “He has to make adjustments to the wind. Everything is a little different looking up there. … Get a good tailwind and anything can happen. I’d really like to hit 17 this year. We’d like to have some shots at 17-3. We should if he stays healthy.”
Though his dad pole vaulted for Ohio State University, Shepler didn’t show interest until the eighth grade when he figured an athletic talent might complement his academics. Shepler has a 4.1 grade-point average and plans be a dentist like his father and grandfather, James Shepler.
“He never wanted to do it and I never said a word,” coach Shepler said. “One day he came home and said he wanted to pole vault. I jumped at the opportunity.”
So did Dalton. He was clearing 12-6 in his first month and hasn’t stopped. His 15-7 already matched the PR set by his dad, who competed for Northmont.
Shepler wants to follow the career path of his father and grandfather. Where he does it, though, could be interesting. Among the schools most interested in Shepler is Michigan. His dad and grandfather are both OSU grads.
“We’ll see. I have lines of family who would disregard me if I went to Michigan,” Shepler said, grinning. “Every time I go to Thanksgiving in Minnesota where my aunt lives, we’re always watching football. … I asked my aunt if she would cheer for Michigan football if I went there and she said no.”
Added his dad: “I don’t know if Ohio State is going to get him or not. Michigan is more interested than Ohio State at this point. … He can go anywhere he wants. I love my son and Michigan is a great school.”
Along with his dad, Shepler has also benefited from the coaching of Roger Bowen, Herb Hartman and Rick Scherer. The trio holds open practice in Miami East High School’s old gym during the winter. Hartman coaches at Troy and Scherer at Fort Loramie, while Bowen – among other coaching stops – was Jamie Shepler’s pole vault coach at Ohio State.
The high school state pole vault record is 17-02 set by Gahanna Lincoln’s Jacob Blankenship in 2012. That’s the mark Shepler wants – next season if not this one – as another one of those chart toppers.
“I called myself a one-hit wonder last year. I jumped really high one time at an indoor meet at Ohio State. I didn’t do well at all the other meets throughout the year,” he said. “That really gave me the boost and the fire to get going this year. … I did win indoor state, but you never know what’s going to happen in outdoor. You never know who will come out and that’s what keeps me going.”
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