By: Paul Schwartz / NorthJersey.com
Keating remains on fire🔥🔥🔥
Until a year ago, no Passaic County athlete had ever cleared more than 14 feet one inch indoors in competition. Only two outdoor vaulters had ever made 14-6 outdoors. And 15 feet seemed as far away as Mars.
Then Owen Keating came along.
After clearing 12-6 in his first season of vaulting in the spring of 2022 as a freshman, tops in New Jersey, he was unable to vault as a sophomore because of pains in his legs. He returned last winter, and on Jan. 25, 2024, won the NJIC title by clearing 11-6, and then went 13-7, 14-2 (setting the Passaic indoor record) and 14-7 before becoming the first 15 footer in county history, all on the same night.
The Pompton Lakes senior has gone on to clear what seemed to be an insurmountable height in nine separate competitions, both indoors and outdoors including jumping 15-6 two weeks ago at the Coach Saint Invitational at the Armory, tops in the state so far this season.
No one in North Jersey is closer to Keating than three feet so far this year and just two boys in the Northeast have jumped higher so far this winter.
“I feel great so far this year and I wanted to get consistent over 15 early and maybe get into the mid 16s before the winter is over,” said Keating, who suffered a rare meet under 15 Saturday when he missed 15-3 at the Hispanic Games. “I was really jumping well and I was way over on each of my three attempts before I came down on the bar. I’m excited for the season.”
One of the great vaulters left in Owen’s wake as he’s destroyed the record book, is his dad Steve, who cleared 14 feet both indoors and outdoors while vaulting at Pompton Lakes in 1986 and held the outdoor county record for 17 years and indoors for 25. He’s also Owen’s coach at Pompton Lakes.
