One of only two state track and field champions for Wellington High, Mark Kepler was the 1973 Class A (now Division III) state champ in pole vault at 13-8 as a sophomore and 1974 Class AA state runner-up in the same event at 13-6 his junior year. He barely missed a third trip to state as he placed fifth at the 1975 Class AA Kent Regional at 12-6, one spot shy of qualifying.
“I started pole vault when I was in fifth grade,” said Kepler. “I first started pole vaulting on an old metal pole. When I was in seventh grade I got my first fiberglass pole and at that point things started clicking. I lived right across the street from the athletic fields on Grand Avenue and pole pit was right there, probably just 50 yards from my house. I spent a lot of hours there. I was jumping 10-9, 11-0 in the eighth grade. I just kept at it. I went over to Oberlin College in the winter and did some practices indoors. The indoor arena there was just a dirt floor back then.
“The previous Wellington state pole vault champ John Worchester (class of 1968) lived on the edge of town. Our family knew him. Worchester had his own pit. I practiced a little bit out there when I was younger. It was just a lot of fun. I played varsity football on the 10-0 team at Wellington. I played a little bit of basketball. But of all the sports I did that was probably the most fun of all the sports, just pole vaulting. It’s yourself. You’re not relying on anybody else. Just that feeling of flying in the air was a lot of fun.”
After high school he attended the US Naval Academy prep school where he played football and attempted to vault but due to a torn labrum he suffered as a high school junior was operated on that year in the Navy. He returned to Ohio to attend BW and again tried to play football and vault but was unable to continue due to shoulder issues. At that point he started coaching football for BW.
Mark Kepler
Born: 1956 in Oberlin, Ohio
Residence: Wellington, Ohio
Family: Children: Misti Ford and Matthew Kepler. Grandchildren: Sophie, Hailey and Kensley Ford. Sisters: Debbie Dobney; Deidra Edwards. Parents: Russell and Betty Kepler.
Education
1975: Wellington High School
1980: Baldwin Wallace College
Athletic highlights
Wellington High School (1971-75)
Track and field
Two-time All-Ohio in pole vault
1975: Placed fifth at the 1975 Class AA Kent Regional at 12-6, one spot shy of qualifying for state. Earlier he was fourth at the Elyria district with a mark of 12-0.
1974: Placed second at the Class AA state meet for pole vault with a height of 13-6. Earlier he finished second at the Kent regional with a mark of 13-0. He won the Elyria sectional with a meet-record height of 13-1 and defended his Lakeland Conference title with a jump of 13-0.
1973: Won the Class A state pole vault title with jump of 13-8. Earlier he won the Kent regional with a meet-record 14-1. He captured the Elyria district with a mark of 12-6. A week earlier he won the Lakeland Conference meet with a meet-record 13-9.25.
1972: Finished eighth at the Kent regional with a jump of 12-0. Earlier he finished fourth at the Elyria district with a mark of 11-6 and was third at the Lakeland Conference meet with a height of 12-0.
In addition to pole vault, Kepler also competed high jump and discus
Football
1972-74: 3-year varsity starting quarterback
First team All-Lakeland Conference as a senior. Led Dukes to a perfect 10-0 won-lost record, won the Lakeland Conference with a 7-0 mark and barely missed a trip to the Class AA playoffs. A wonderful turnaround from a 1-6-1 record in 1972 and 5-4-1 mark in 1973. He was second team all-conference as a junior.
Also saw spot duty at cornerback as a sophomore and junior, plus also returned punts and kickoffs
US Naval Prep Academy and Baldwin-Wallace College
Kepler also competed football and track one year each for the US Naval Prep Academy (1975-76) and Baldwin-Wallace College (1976-77) before shoulder problems forced him to step away from competing those two sports.
Coaching highlights
2001-02: Football coach for Currituck High School in Barco, North Carolina
1990-2000: Track coach for Currituck High
1989-2000: Football assistant for Currituck High
1983-86: Football and track assistant for Black River High School
1981-82: Football assistant for Wellington High School
1977-79: Student assistant in football for Baldwin-Wallace College. The Yellow Jackets were 1978 Division III national champions.