An Interview with Michigan's Finest, Dylan Targgart

DOB: 22 March 2002

Coldwater High School Class of 2020

University of South Carolina 2020-2025

NBNO HS Champion 2019

4x NCAA All-American

PB: 20.45, 56.09

Date Interviewed: 22 October 2024

Dylan and I first crossed paths in 2021 when he hosted me for my official visit to South Carolina. Having a fantastic training partner for another three years in college was something that helped make my decision easy to choose USC to finish out my eligibility. Not only is he a relentless worker and an awesome teammate, but he is also a great friend. He is one of three brothers who all threw in college! We hope you enjoy this interview.

Q: Dylan, can you give a little background about your start in throwing?

DT: I started because of my brother. He played football and basketball. The football coach was also the track and field coach. The football coach made his players do track, so he did not have a choice. He started throwing when he was a freshman, and I would go to the meets to watch. I started throwing in 7th grade, and the rest is history.

Q: I know you were a 50-foot glider your freshman year; when did you transition to the spin?

DT: I transitioned to spinning in between my freshman and sophomore years. I played football, basketball, and track all four years, so I did not have a ton of time to throw in the offseason. It would be from March-ish to about May or June. I would always train once a week toward the end of basketball season just for the Indoor State Meet. We started to play around with it in the indoor season of my sophomore year. I was still gliding and competed with it in one meet and threw 52’. Then we decided to play around with the spin, where I would spin in the high school cafeteria with no ring to practice. I practiced it maybe three times total and then went to the Indoor State Meet, which was my first time in a ring with a toeboard, and threw 58’ in the finals for a 6’ PR.

Q: When did you know that you could throw really far?

DT: I would say my freshman year when I threw 162’ in the discus at the state meet. I thought there was a future in throwing. That solidified even more when I switched to the spin in the indoor season of my sophomore year and had immediate success with it. That’s when I realized I may have a future in this.

Q: What has your progression been since high school until now?

DT: (Roughly)High School:Freshman Year: 50’, 162’Sophomore Year: 61-6.5’, 173’Junior Year: 69-4.25’, 187-7’Senior Year: 65-6’ (just Indoor Season because of Covid-19 Cancellation)

College:Redshirt Year: 18.04M, 49MRedshirt Freshman Year: 19.02M, 52.70MRedshirt Sophomore Year: 19.89M, 54.86MRedshirt Junior Year: 20.45M, 56.09MRedshirt Senior Year: TBD

Q: What was the hardest part about adjusting to the 16?

DT: I did not have a lot of experience throwing heavy balls in high school. It was a rather big adjustment for me going to the 16 because primarily I was throwing the 5k (11 lb) in high school, which was a little lighter than the competition ball. We took the transition really slow, and I threw a lot of 12 and 14 in the fall and throughout the first year of college. By the end of the year, we were throwing a lot more 16 and started to get used to it. I was always fairly strong, but my specific strength for the shot put wasn't there yet. It just took a little bit of time, and I just had to be patient with it. So, probably just the patience and learning how to use the ground instead of muscling it like you can get away with the 12 lb.

Q: What things have you had to overcome while in college?

DT: My senior year of high school was Covid, so the season got canceled. Then, I redshirted my freshman year because I needed a little more time to adjust to the 16 and felt I’d be better my fifth year, so it was worth it. That meant two full seasons of not competing. There were definitely times throughout that year that I forgot how fun competing is, and it is easy to lose perspective that first year in college. I asked myself at times why I put my body through so much torture to not even compete. I’ve had some dings here and there, but nothing super major. The biggest problem I’ve had is with my hand, and my freshman year I had to sit out two months because of my hand. Those can be tough moments in time. I had to also overcome my own mentality, where I thought if I didn’t do things, I wouldn't be successful. I would push through it because I thought I needed to get all the work done to be good. In reality, I needed to be a lot smarter so I could stay healthier, which in the long run would make me better.

Q: What makes Dylan Targgart throw far?

DT: I’ve always had some good explosiveness. I had a pretty good clean all throughout my high school years, and that’s carried on into college. So, I’ve always been strong in the weight room. I have always prided myself on kinesthetic awareness and the ability to feel the throw. The footwork from basketball, particularly in the post, to use my body to put myself in the position to score helped me feel my body in space. I think that has really helped me feel the throw and tell you exactly what happened and what I felt before looking at a video of it.

Q: What are your strength levels?

DT: My all-time best in the bench is 470. That was my fourth year of college. I haven't tested the one-rep clean in a while, and we don't really catch cleans. I would guess my clean is around 420 lbs if I had to really catch one. I haven't really tested a one-rep in the back squat in a long time, but the indicators are somewhere over 600 lbs.

Q: What is a typical training week for you?

DT: Throwing three days a week shot put and lifting typically three days a week also. I’m probably taking anywhere from 25 to 35 throws in a session.

Q: What makes a good throwing athlete?

DT: You have to have some freakish athletic abilities, whether it’s strength and power or running and jumping abilities. You have to have some signs of real explosiveness and power output. It also takes a special type of person to keep at it every day and year after year. And to be in tune with their technique enough to make the changes that it takes to throw far in the long run. I think you need really good feel for the throw to be good.

Q: Do you throw different shot weights?

DT: I have thrown in my college career anywhere from 13 lbs to 20 lbs in training. I particularly like the 15 lb ball. I have found that when I have good timing and rhythm with the 15 lb ball and make it go far, I am set up really well to throw far in a meet. The heavy balls I can usually throw pretty well, and they go far, but I can have the tendency to change my technique a little bit when I throw them. You can get away with a little more shovyness, and they’ll respond to that. The light balls require an immense amount of stretch to go far. I think trying to make sure the technique is staying the same no matter what ball is important.

Q: What other training do you think helps for the shot?

DT: I like to feel athletic, so a little running and jumping is beneficial to me. I don’t do a ton; I definitely don’t overdo it. I also like overhead and underhand throws because there is a little timing and technique aspect. It makes me feel explosive and athletic, which is a good placebo effect.

Q: How have you managed to improve every year?

DT: I have the ability to hyperfocus on things. For me, my weight room numbers have improved every year, and that very directly translates into farther throws to a certain extent. Coach Sergent is a big reason I’ve been able to get better year after year. He has taught me a great deal about the technique of the shot put. His plan over time and the technical changes I needed to make out of high school made it so I’m never stagnant and always trying to improve.

Q: Who are your technical models?

DT: Pretty much everybody. The biggest influence was Josh Awotunde. This will be year five of me training with him. He came back in October of my freshman year. I got to see how he trains every day and pick his brain about certain technical aspects. If you see Tunde do a drill and then you see me do a drill, they probably look similar. This is because I’ve tried to do it like Tunde since I’ve been here.

Q: What was a big technical breakthrough that changed your throw forever?

DT: I’ve definitely had a couple. Some in high school were the idea of getting over the left and getting off the left. Getting out and around the left while simultaneously getting off the left quickly and getting the left down quickly in the front allowed me to be rotational and around out of the back, but getting off the left made it so my throw was linear, and I could still hit the finish very linearly. Another big thing for me was the idea of feeling the separation in the throw. Instead of relying on my upper body and pushing it, I learned to work the ground and how to create separation between the lower body and the upper body. When you do that really well, the shot just kind of jumps off the hand.

Q: What are some technical things you are working on now?

DT: In the stands, half turns, all that stuff I’m really putting emphasis on cranking the right foot and working the ground. Using the left foot to block well. Out the back, trying to be as wide as possible around my left while staying level.

Q: What is the hardest part about throwing?

DT: It’s the fine line, right? Because sometimes it’s really hard to make changes that feel awkward. They go shorter in the short run, but in the long run, making those changes will make the ball go farther. But also, you don't want to get away from who you are, and there is not one way to do it. Navigating that, choosing your battles, choosing what you’re going to change, and choosing what might be your own kind of style and not messing with that.

Q: Most overrated thing about throwing training?

DT: I think particularly in the partial throws, people put a lot of emphasis on reversing, and I think it is far more important to work the non-reverse. I have almost never trained the reverse from a stand or a half turn, pretty much in my entire throwing career. I think it’s overrated.

Q: Why the University of South Carolina?

DT: When I was going through the recruiting process, everyone’s advice to me was to choose a school that you’d be happy at without athletics; don’t really focus on athletics or your coach because that could all get taken away from you. And I chose not to listen to anybody. I chose South Carolina solely off of track and field and Coach Sergent, in particular. I felt a very special connection with Coach Sergent compared with all the rest of the coaches. I felt our collaboration and relationship would get me to the next level.

Q: What is your plan post-college?

DT: I want to work for Edward Jones as a financial advisor. I’m going to move back home, so I’ll be in southern Michigan or northern Indiana, somewhere in there. But I definitely plan to pursue shot putting and see where I can go with it.

Q: What motivates you to wake up every day and throw far?

DT: I’ve always had some sort of inner drive that won’t let me stop until I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I’ve always taken pride in my work ethic, and working hard is fun to me. The grind is fun to me and keeps me going.

Bonus: Any advice for younger throwers looking to improve?

DT: There’s a lot of people that tell you that you need to do specific things to throw far or else you won’t. Don’t listen to any of that; there is no shortcut. Just put in the work, put in the reps, be really diligent and disciplined with everything you do. Try to understand what you’re doing and how to make it better. Also, especially early on, the weight room is your best friend. The more gains you can make in the weight room, you will find directly correlates to farther throws.