Desi Stroud, a Holy Family junior from Mays Landing and Atlantic County Tech, uncorked the 2nd-best long jump in NCAA Division 2 East Region this weekend, a 23-7 ½ leap that was about an inch shy of his lifetime indoor PR.
Stroud hit 23-7 ½ on his 3rd jump at the Hounds Classic at Moravian’s Breidgam Fieldhouse in Bethhlehem, just off his indoor PR of 23-8 ¾ from a meet at Ocean Breeze in February 2024. Stroud has a lifetime-best 24-3 from an outdoor meet at Widener last March. Although that was at a meet without a wind gauge, it’s listed as Holy Family’s school record. Looks like his best wind-legal jump is a 23-4 ¾ at Stockton this past March. Which would make his jump this weekend a legal PR.
That 23-7 ½ is No. 20 in NCAA Division 2 and best this year in the Central Atlantiic Collegiate Conference.
Holy Family’s indoor long jump record is 25-2 ¾ by current Holy Family senior Javon Bowen of Kingston, Jamaica, from a meet at Ocean Breeze last January.
Bowen, Stroud and Odane Smith from Edwin Allen in Jamaica [23-3 ½] rank 2nd, 3rd and 4th in NCAA Division 2 East Region so far this season.
Next for Holy Family is the Widener Schuykill Showcase this weekend at the Ott Center.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 