BERKELEY – It’s an impressive resume.
A 13th-place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Men’s Track and Field Championships. A sweep of eight New Jersey Athletic Conference titles (indoors and outdoors). All-NJAC first-team honors indoors and outdoors. A three-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region selection. A victory at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Championships against the top NCAA Division III competitors from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. A 12th-place ranking in NCAA Division III with a season-best vault of 4.90 meters (16-3/4) during the 2022 outdoor season. A 29th-place ranking in Division III at 4.71 (15-6) during the 2021-22 indoor season.
“I definitely put in the most effort that I could,” said the author of the biography, former Central Regional High School athlete Keith Holland, who starred for the Stockton University Ospreys. “There was good teamwork. Team morale definitely helped a lot. I normally jump higher when there is a good crowd of fans and my teammates bounce off each other.”
One of four Ospreys in school history to clear 16 feet, Holland worked hard at scaling the bar.
“My favorite aspect of competing was always constantly trying to improve,” he said. “Even when I did not achieve a personal best, it was still very good to perform at my highest level or at least near it. I am definitely surprised at my success. During my sophomore year, I cleared 14-6.”
Holland enjoyed reaching the highest heights.
“You get a glimpse of the shock on people’s faces,” he said. “Sometimes, it is like a blackout moment when you hit the mat. I never became airsick. I got hurt a few times, but it still did not stall my progression.”
Holland recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in computer science. The owner of a 3.30 grade point average, Holland earned two-time Dean’s List honors as a freshman and captured All-Academic laurels in 2020.
“I turned out real successful in academics and athletics,” he said. “I worked hard on my academics and was in pretty tough classes. Athletically, I did really well. Getting the career sweep with the NJAC titles is the thing I am most proud of.”
The 6-foot-2 Holland said he took a light-hearted mental approach to competing.
“My approach was definitely to have fun,” he said. “If you go in too seriously, you work yourself up and won’t perform properly.”
Stockton coach Jayson Resch said an intense attachment to pole vaulting played a large role in Holland’s success.
“The number one thing is that Keith loves the event,” Resch said. “That is extremely important because it can be frustrating and there are a lot of things to work on. Keith also is a gifted athlete who has some special traits that separate him from others. He is extremely flexible and has great body awareness. Keith is fearless, but not reckless. He has an appreciation for the event as he launches himself 16 feet into the air, but he is not afraid to be aggressive and go for the big jumps.”
Resch said Holland’s “best meet” was the NJAC championship showdown with teammate Joe Morales, a Toms River North graduate.
“Keith jumped 16 feet for the win,” Resch said. “Keith was being challenged early on by Joe and Keith stepped up with a big jump. Keith always showed up for us at the NJAC Championships and he brought energy that helped us be successful. Keth and Joe went 1-2 at the meet, which was huge for our scoring (the Ospreys finished third).”
When Holland competes, Resch knows what the former Golden Eagle will bring to the Ospreys.
“The number one thing that makes Keith special is his consistency,” Resch said. “It is extremely impressive that he was able to be healthy and show up at the end of the season when it counted the most. Keith and coach Curll (Stockton pole vault coach Todd) will laugh at this, but I have really seen how much Keith has matured over the years. Pole vaulters like to be goofy and have fun and we have a lot of stories about Keith. However, Keith is kind and warm hearted and is a great teammate. Keith always remained humble even though he was one of the top guys on the team. He was open minded. He listened and kept things low key. He had the ability to become focused when it mattered the most.”
Holland, a 165-pounder, set the Ospreys’ record and was a two-time national qualifier.
“I am not surprised at how well Keith has done,” Resch said. “I knew he had the tools to be successful and that he would be working with coach Curll, one of the country’s best pole vault coaches. I knew Keith would connect with coach Curll and that they would have a successful relationship. This year, committed more time to the weight room and worked on his speed. He was able to become stronger and maintain his speed down the runway, which helped him to be consistent in his approach.”
Holland worked with a 14-foot pole in high school and a 15-foot implement at the collegiate level.
“As their ability, height, strength and knowledge of the event increase, pole vaulters go to longer and heavier rated poles,” said Curll, who has produced numerous NCAA Division III champions and all-Americans. “Keith worked on his running form and his ability to jump up at the takeoff during his college career and that’s what allowed him to get onto bigger poles. Keith’s improvements also had to do with changes in his plant and learning to trust the process of his vault. His mental growth took four years, but this also had to do with maturity and understanding the concept of the vault.”
“Keith was fearless, but also had a healthy respect for the event,” Resch said. “He also had great speed.”
Curll enjoyed coaching Holland.
“Keith was a fun person to have around at practice,” Curll said. “He and the other vaulters always had some sort of debate going at practice. At times, it could be distracting, but it also took away from over-focusing on an event with so many frustrating parts. He was always having a good time and never was too hard at himself. When it came down to competition, he always went in with a mindset to win.”
Holland’s presence will be missed.
“He leaves some pretty big shoes to fill,” Resch said. “It will be very challenging for someone to match Keith’s consistency. It’s hard to transition to the college level and win a conference title as a freshman. It’s even more difficult when everyone is trying to beat you, but Keith was able to do that.”
Holland dabbled in football, playing linebacker as a Central freshman.
“I didn’t really like it so that’s why I focused on track,” he said. “I did it because my friends did it and I needed to do a sport. Everyone did track during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Our football coaches wanted us to do a sport during the offseason.”
Resch said he met Holland for the first time when Holland was in high school.
“I talked to Keith’s high school coach,” Resch said. “My dad (Tom) was officiating meets and told me about Keith. Plus, coach Curll heard about him. I first saw Keith vault at the Ocean County Relays during his senior year. I knew he had really improved from his junior year to his senior year and I was impressed with the improvements he was making.”
“I chose Stockton because it was close to my house and I knew it had a real good program with coach Resch and coach Curll,” Holland said. “I was going to go to OCC (Ocean County College), but I did real well at Central. I visited Stockton’s campus and I liked it. “
Holland hopes to leave a lasting legacy at Stockton.
“I hope my titles stand for a while,” he said. “I want to be remembered as a leader, someone to look up to.”
Holland offered advice to others.
“I want the younger athletes to work hard and have fun,” he said. “If you work hard, you can get to a top spot. If you work hard, you can overcome any adversity that you face.”
“Keith was able to handle school work athletics and commuting because he was consistent,” Resch said. “He showed up each day ready to work. He did not complain. He made the situation work for him.”
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