Former Huron standout takes over at school her mom attended and her grandpa was AD
WATERTOWN — A coach with a past connection to Watertown High School athletics is set to become the new leader of the Arrow volleyball program.
Watertown activities director Craig Boyens announced the hiring of Havyn Heinz as the head volleyball coach at WHS, pending approval of the Watertown School Board.
“We are excited to welcome Havyn to Watertown,” Boyens said. “Her championship experience, energy and passion for developing student-athletes make her a great fit for our program.”
Heinz also spent two years playing volleyball at Northern State University in Aberdeen before transferring to Wayne State.
In high school, the 5-foot-4 libero-defensive specialist was a five-year starter and three-year captain for Huron. She recorded more than 3,000 digs and also 233 service aces. Heinz was named South Dakota’s Class AA Miss Volleyball in 2019 and also made the Class AA all-state first team that year.
In addition to her playing career, Heinz brings valuable coaching experience. She spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant for Dakota Wesleyan University Mitchell. She has also coached with Kusler Klinics, Nebraska D-League Volleyball and at various camps, working with athletes of all ages.
She has strong ties to the Watertown community as the daughter of former Arrow athlete Peggy Hammrich-Heinz and granddaughter of former Watertown Activities Director Harvey Hammrich. Peggy passed away in 2023 after a battle with cancer and Harvey, who served as Watertown’s AD from 1977 through 2023, died in 2021.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to teach and coach in Watertown,” said Heinz. “Watertown has always had a special spot in my heart and this is a full circle moment!”
Heinz replaces Rosemary Bellum, who stepped down in December after nine seasons as Arrows’ head coach. Bellum, a 1994 WHS graduate who played on Watertown’s state Class AA runner-up team in 1994, spent the past 28 years with the program and is the winningest coach in program history with a 192-80 record.
Bellum also guided Watertown teams to the state Class AA tourney seven times in nine years, highlighted by the program’s second state championship in 2019. Last fall, the Arrows went 22-11 and finished fourth in the state tourney.
Boyens said that WHS looks forward to the future of Arrow volleyball under the leadership of Heinz, who is the seventh head coach in the history of the program. The program started during the 1990-91 season.
Courtesy of Roger Merriam at the Watertown Public Opinion
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