The Macks, Hericks, Rohde and Gilbertson among Watertown's best track athletes
Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.
Welcome back. Let me just start by saying that this was certainly one of the toughest lists to narrow down in all the "20 Favorites" stories.
There was a long run of success for Watertown's boys track and field teams, mainly from the 1990s through the late 2010s. That was due to having a lot of very good athletes, many of whom went on to have continued success in college.
Again, don't really worry about the order until you get down to the final few spots. Everybody on this list is very deserving and so are many who didn't make the cut.
Up next in the series will be a "20 Favorites" story on the top drivers at Casino Speedway.
20. Others
Here's some names I came across during my research as state place winners and even in some cases, state champions. Many of these are included in the photo gallery that can be found online at www.thepublicopinion.com.
The group includes hurdlers Collin Dingsor, Landon Wegner, Alex Jellsen, Keith Newman, Dale Heiden and Trent Mack; throwers Boaz Raderschadt, Tyler Dean, Macen Andrus, Bryce LeBlanc, Michael Keogan, Tyler Robel, Max Fuller and Mitch Kranz; and jumpers Lucas Kaiser, Juven Hudson, Kevin Shriver, Vance Newman, Ben Ryan, Joe Decker, Nathan Eilers, Nick Jensen, Ethan Johnson, Mitch Schwanke, Jordan Engelhart, Michael Stemwedel, Kyle Wiesner and Ryan Berry.
Middle-distance and distance runners Jaxson Fiechtner, Nick Petersen, Joe and Scott Roby, Mike Stinson, Joe and Jeff Hegge, Landon Werner, Mike Erlandson, Gabe Syhre, Kenny Mayer, Danny and Matt Scott, Chris Larson, AJ Schultz, Nathan Schmidt and Nick Reiffenberger; sprinter-relay runners Joe Foley, Jake Werner, Sean Langner, Bo Arnold, Jess Poppen, Paul (also pole vault) and J.J. Clendenin, Bill Andrews, Ethan Anderson, Billy McElhany, Zack Maxwell, Shay Bratland; pole vaulters Noah Spartz, Jacob Van Dusseldorp, Blake Paulson, Brian Anderson, Joe Williams, Tommy Foley, Drew Danforth, Marcus Weber, Wade Knutson and Sam and Joe Ellyson; and thrower-jumper Cole Holden (the school record holder in the javelin, 162-0).
My apologize to anybody I've missed.
19A. Brent Rudebusch and Jesse Masloski
I originally had these two down as special mention, but I combined some positions and added them.
Rudebusch didn't win a state title, but did place four years (2002-2005) in the Class AA boys' high jump. Four-year state place winners don't grow on trees.
Masloski, a pole vaulter and 1997 graduate, battled injuries in high school but later competed at Notre Dame.
19B. Levi Winkels
Winkels was key part of some talented state runner-up teams for the Arrows in 2010 and 2011 and definitely factored into some talented relay squads.
He ran on the state-champion 1,600 and medley relay teams in 2011 and the state champion 1,600 relay team in 2010. Winkels also placed in the 400 dash as a junior in 2010. He ran on the school-record 1,600 relay team in 2011 (3:19.83) that held the all-time state record in the event until 2022.
Winkels, who also played football and basketball for the Arrows, later competed in track at South Dakota State.
18. Owen Spartz, Josh Sandvik & Colton Jordan
Ok, this group could probably be harder. These guys are all pole vaulters who won two state Class AA titles for the Arrows.
Spartz won titles in 2022 and 2023 and came up just short (taking second) in 2024. He also holds the school record at 15-9. Jordan won state titles in 2013 and 2014 and Sandvik in 2001 and 2002.
Owen Spartz: Arrow standout seeking to become school's first three-time AA boys' pole vault champion
17. Jesse Freiwald & Jon Ryan
These two guys are two of the better long and triple jumpers for the Arrows these past 40 years.
Freiwald placed three years in the triple jump, winning state titles in 1995 and 1996, and twice in the long jump, winning a state title in 1995. He also finished second in the 400-meter dash in 1996.
Ryan, also a talented basketball and football player, won the long and triple jumps in the 2006 state meet. He later put together a solid career as a wide receiver for the University of Sioux Falls football team.
16. Collin Schull, Brent Schulte and Garrett Determan
Here's three more fast guys who are included in the list of school records.
Schull was a part of four Gold Medal relay teams in 2010 and 2011 (medley and 1,600 teams each year) and also placed third in the 400 dash at state in 2011. He ran on the school-record 1,600 relay team in 2011 (3:19.83).
Schulte and Determan are each part of 2016 relay teams that still hold school records in the 400 (42.1) and 800 (1:27.83). Schulte (a junior) and Determan (a freshman) each ran on the state champin 400 and 800 relays in 2016. Determan ran on another state-champion 400 relay team in 2019 and also took second in the 200 dash and third in the 100 dash.
20 Favorites: Links to the stories highlighting the best northeastern South Dakota athletes since 1984
15. Adam DeJong
DeJong is another member of the school-record 400 and 800 relay teams and ran on three state-champion relay teams (400 and 800 in 2016 and 400 in 2019).
He also had success individually, placing in the 100 and 400 dashes in 2017 and winning the 200 and 400 dashes in 2019.
DeJong later earned NAIA All-American honors as a defensive back in football for Dakota Wesleyan.
Special note: Adam's older brother Connor was a two-time state place winner in the pole vault (2014-15) and later competed in the event for the University of Sioux Falls.
14. Aaron Jung & Nathan Lamb
These two throwers both won state titles in the throwing events for the Arrows and also have made their mark in football.
Lamb won the discus and took second in the shot put as a junior in the 1997 state meet and contributed heavily to Watertown's state championship squad in 1998 by taking second in the discus and third in the shot put.
He also was a lineman on Watertown's state championship football team in 1996 and has become a successful high school coach in his home state, helping coach Waverly-South Shore to the 2011 Class 9B state title and leading Deubrook Area into the 2023 Class 9A championship game.
I still remember Jung throwing out of the pit at Allen Mitchell Field when he shattered the school record in the shot put (65-3) in the 2008 Watoma Relays. He won state shot put titles in 2007 and 2008 and also won the discus in 2008 after finishing second in 2007.
He went on to have a successful football career as a nose guard at Augustana University and also earned NCAA Division II All-American honors in the shot put in track.
13. Tanner Berg & Alex Renner
Let's stay with the throwers and here's a couple of notable guys who went on to college success. Berg has continued throwing in the hopes of someday making the Olympics and Renner did the same after he graduated from college.
Berg placed seventh in the state shot put in 2016 and returned the next year to win the event and placing sixth in th discus. In college, he went on to become a NCAA Division II national champion in the hammer throw. He continues to pursue his Olympic dreams in the event.
Renner won the Class AA shot put in 2011 and 2012 and also placed third in 2010. He later became a NCAA Division I All-American and school record-holder in the shot put at North Dakota State University.
12. Phillip Davis & Rich Garnos
Davis certainly could be listed higher. He did earned Class AA outstanding athlete honors in the 1998 state meet after leading the Arrows to the state championship by winning the 1,600 and 3,200 runs, taking second in 800 and anchoring the winning medley relay.
He later competed in track and cross country at the University of Nebraska. Davis was inducted into the Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
Garnos barely qualifies for the list because most of his high school career came before I arrived at the Public Opinion. In the spring of 1985, he had a big year and earned outstanding athlete honors at the state meet by winning the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Garnos is the son of my first editor at the P.O. (Gordon Garnos).
11. Brian Antoine
Antoine took third in the state high jump in 1995 as a sophomore and returned to win state championships in both 1996 and 1997.
He didn't stop there, eclipsing the 7-foot mark (7-0.25 in 2001) during a stellar career at North Dakota State where he earned NCAA Division II All-American honors three times indoors and once outdoors.
Antoine has served as a volunteer high jump coach for the WHS track teams for years.
10. Jason Sutherland
Many might consider Sutherland the best athlete compete for Watertown High School since the 1980s (if not all-time) and he certainly had a flair for the dramatic as a standout basketball and football player for the Arrows.
He showed the same flair in the 1992 state track meet, when he won the high jump by clearing 7 feet, 1 inch. More than 30 years later, it's still Watertown's school record and also tied for the best all-time mark (all classes) in the state track meet.
Suherland was inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
9. Lukas Bernard
Another key member of the back-to-back state runner-up teams in 2010 and 2011, won 300 hurdles, ran on the winning 1,600 relay and took second in the 110 hurdles in the 2010 state. He again ran on the winning 1,600 relay in 2011 and placed second in the 300s and eighth in the 110s.
Bernard, who also ran on the school-record holding 1,600 relay team in 2011 (3:19.83) and also still holds the school record in the 300 hurdles (38.2), also had a solid collegiate career at the University of South Dakota.
8. Pierre Lear
Born in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Lear enjoyed a standout track and field career with the Arrows from 2016-2019. He placed three times in the state high jump and twice in the 110 and 300 hurdles (winning both of those races in the 2018 state meet).
He injured his knee in the high jump on the first day of the 2019 state meet and likely could have added more medals. Lear still holds the WHS school record in the 110 hurdles (13.92).
Lear continued to shine at South Dakota State, where he set school records in both the 60 and 110 hurdles in 2021-22.
7. Brad Monahan
Monahan is still Watertown's school record holder in the triple jump (47-3.25), a mark he set in 2007. At the time, it was the all-time state record and is still among the top jumps in state history.
He burst onto the scene in 2004 when he placed eighth in the triple jump at the state meet. He took second in 2005, third in 2006 and first in both 2007 and 2009. He also placed in the long jump each of his final two years.
Monahan was one of a number of Arrow track standouts who continued to compete in the sport at North Dakota State.
6. Brent Parmer
Maybe we're missing the boat on Parmer, who has yet to be inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame. He, however, was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame at North Dakota State University in 2017.
He lettered in four sports at WHS and placed five times in state track events (long and triple jumps and 100 and 200 dashes). He took second in the triple jump in 1990 and won the long jump in 1991.
At NDSU, he won was a nine-time North Central Conference individual champion and a seven-time NCAA Division II All-American.
5. Josh Olson
Another talent sprinter-jumper like Parmer, Olson was inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023. He still holds Eastern South Dakota Conference and school records in the long jump (23-1.25).
Olson won the 400 dash and took second in the 200 dash, long jump and 1,600 relay in the 2003 state meet, a year after placing sixth in the long jump.
A two-year letter winner in track, football and basketball, he earned All-ESD and all-state honors as a wide receiver in football in 2001.
He later competed for University of South Dakota track and field teams that won indoor and outdoor conference titles.
4. Kirk Gilbertson
We've already covered a number of studs, but the top four on this list could really be interchangeable.
Gilby is one of two Arrows to have earned five Gold Medals in state track meets, winning the 800 run in 2011 and running on the winning 1,600 and medley relay teams in both 2010 and 2011. The Arrows finished second in the team standings both years. He also took second in the 800 in 2010.
Gilbertson also ran on the school-record 1,600 relay (3:19.83) in 2011. Also a talented basketball player, he later went to North Dakota State to run.
His younger brother Brant placed eighth in the 3,200 run at state in 2013 but later went on to have a more notable college track and cross country career for NDSU.
3. Chad Rohde
I originally was going to put Rohde at the top of the list and he certainly could be, not only for his accomplishments in high school but also his service as the current head coach of the WHS track and field programs.
Rohde played a key role on Watertown's 1998 state championship team, winning the triple jump and finishing second in the high jump and fourth in the long jump. He also won the triple jump and took seventh in the long jump in 1997 and also placed sixth in the triple jump as a sophomore in 1996.
He later competed in the triple jump and as a decathlete at the University of South Dakota.
2. Mason Hericks
Hericks first sent notice of what was to come when he qualified to compete in the National Hershey Track and Field meet in 2010. He later enjoyed stellar careers for WHS (2013-16) and then the University of Nebraska.
He also owns five Gold Medals from the state track meet and capped his career by winning the 100, 200 and 400 dashes and running on the winning 800 relay as a senior in 2016. Hericks also took second in the 200 and fifth in the 100 in 2015; third in the 200 and seventh in the 100 and ran on the winning 400 relay in 2014; and took eighth in the 200 in 2018. He also placed in other relays.
Based on times, he's the fast Arrow sprinter ever. He holds school records in the 100 dash (10.3) and 200 dash (21.36).
1. The Macks (Neal, Cullen, Sully & Cooper)
Certainly you've heard the phrase — "There's strength in numbers" — and that's why we're putting the Macks at the top.
Neal Mack got things started by winning the state Class AA discus title as a senior in 1987 and then raised three sons (two also won state discus titles and the other took second).
Cullen Mack, a 2011 WHS grad, won his state discus title that year. He placed second in 2010 and third in 2009 and also added a seventh-place finish in the shot put in 2010. He later competed at South Dakota State.
Sully Mack, a 2019 WHS grad, took second in the discus at the state meet his senior year. He continued to throw at Black Hills State University.
The biggest star of the family was Cooper, a 2021 graduate, who earned All-American honors and the Gatorade South Dakota Boys Track Athlete of the Year honor after sweeping the shot put and discus events at the state meet. He also was named to the Class AA Outstanding Field Events athlete at the meet.
He placed fourth in the shot put and fifth in the discus in the 2019 state meet and had his junior season wiped out in 2020 when South Dakota cancelled spring high school sports due to COVID-19. Cooper traveled the country with his father to compete in whatever meets he could.
Cooper Mack set school records in the shot put (67-3.5) and discus (185-10) that spring and is now competing for NCAA Division I Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 Favorites series continues with a look at Watertown High School boys track
