Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Long Beach junior Julia Glenz has made quite a statement this postseason, capturing a historic county championship before following it with the fastest girls’ performance at the state qualifier, earning a place in this weekend’s New York cross country championships.
At the Nov. 7 qualifier at LIU Post, Glenz won the Class A race in 19 minutes, 15 seconds, the fastest time among all girls who competed that day. The finish secured her a spot at the state meet, scheduled for Saturday at Queensbury.
The previous week, at the county championships at Bethpage State Park, Glenz won the Class II girls’ race in 18:42.76. It was the first county title for a Long Beach girls’ runner during Milone’s tenure, which began in 2004.
Milone said Glenz’s ability to sustain her intensity across both races was especially impressive.
“What I think is most impressive is to keep that intensity level two weeks in a row,” he said the day after the state qualifier. “She basically dominated both races, both the county race and yesterday. And that's very difficult for an athlete to maintain that emotional intensity and competitive edge for two weeks.
“It was one of the more dominant performances I've seen in 20 years of coaching,” he added.
Glenz said she was excited, though nervous, before the qualifier.
“I was telling myself to be confident and excited and that I worked for it and that I would be able to do well,” she said.
Winning the county title was meaningful, Glenz said, because she was able to represent Long Beach and her coaches.
“I'm really proud that I was able to do that for me and for my coaches and just to represent Long Beach in that way,” she said.
Milone, who has worked with Glenz since she was in eighth grade, said she continues to improve.
“I don't think she's even peaked yet,” he said.
Long Beach boasted two other All-County runners, with the honor going to the top 25 finishers in the county championships. Sydney Olivo was 14th with a time of 20:19.89, while fellow junior Molly Graham was the 25th and final All-County qualifier with a time of 20:57.96.
Milone said Olivo, who joined the cross-country program after competing in track, has been a strong addition. He was especially pleased to see Graham earn All-County recognition after a hard fall cost her the distinction two years ago.
“I was thrilled to see her,” Milone said of Graham. “She earned the last spot for All- County.”
The girls; team overall finished 11-2 for the third consecutive season, according to Milone. He credited the nine-runner roster’s commitment, summer training and consistent work for its success against larger teams.
“We're like a little engine that could,” he said. “We're competing against teams that have 15 to 30 girls. And we're beating them.”
Glenz said she has grown more confident and strategic since joining the high school coaches in eighth grade and has become a leader for younger teammates. She is looking forward to building on her postseason success at states.
“I'm really excited and I want to continue how my postseason is going,” she said. “I'm really hoping for a great state meet.”
