Saturday, November 8, 2025
A lack of talent wasn’t the reason Long Beach’s girls’ cross-country program was unable to win a meet last season.
“It was an aberration but we didn’t have enough kids and it takes five to score in a race,” coach Greg Milone said. “We still don’t have a huge team, but we had an influx of competitive and talented freshmen to go along with the returning kids who improved.”
So after a rough 2023, the revamped Marines finished 11-2 this fall and placed fifth out of 14 teams in the Nassau Class I championship meet Nov. 2 at Bethpage State Park.
“I wouldn’t have predicted 11 wins, but we started 4-0 and I knew early on we’d be solid all the way through if we stayed healthy,” Milone said. “Other coaches complimented how our program quickly garnered attention.”
Caelin Feehan, Sophia Stevenson and Blanca Esposito returned from last year’s modest roster and dropped their times to another level whilst freshmen Julia Glenz, Payton Dunckley, Molly Graham and Calla Peters helped get Long Beach back on the county map.
“Caelin, Sophia and Blanca stuck with it and worked hard every day last year knowing we didn’t have enough bodies to win any meets,” Milone said.
Feehan, a junior, finished 29 th in the county meet to earn All-Conference honors. Her time was 21 minutes, 15.6 seconds. “Caelin is a leader who always brings a positive attitude and great work ethic,” Milone said. “She runs year round and was consistently in our top five all season.”
Stevenson, new to cross-country in 2023, is a model of consistency, the coach noted, and a grinder who looks to get better every day. A sophomore, she was also All-Conference after placing 40th in the county meet in 21:56.90. Milone called Esposito a “multitalented kid” who became stronger each race this fall and the junior nearly cracked 23 minutes Nov. 2.
Glenz, Dunckley, Graham and Peters thrived under middle school coach Dan Vaeth and proved their talents on the varsity stage. Either Glenz or Dunckley was the Marines’ top runner in every meet and placed 9th and 18th, respectively, in the county to earn All-County recognition. Glenz finished in 19:57.1 and Dunckley wasn’t far behind in 20:34.
“Julia and Payton are super competitive and did very well in spring track as eighth-graders,” Milone said. “Julia has an incredible ability to maintain pace throughout a race, and Payton trains and races as hard as anyone.”
Graham reached All-Conference status as well despite not completing the county race. During the regular season she was Long Beach’s third or fourth scorer in meets. “Molly is one of the key reasons we had such a successful season,” Milone said.
Peters, a strong 400-meter performer in track just getting her feet wet in cross-country has “all the tools to make a giant leap,” Milone said.
“I’m thrilled to see this kind of turnaround and we’ll be bringing everyone back next year,” Milone said.
