COVINGTON – Covington senior Elyza Long, the daughter of Josh and Libby Long, committed to the University of Findlay to extend her education and running career in the sports of cross country and track.
“The whole atmosphere of the campus and the team is awesome,” said Elyza as to why she chose Findlay as her future opportunity. “Plus, my brother (Asher Long) loves it there and he encouraged me to go there too.”
Elyza plans on earning her degree in Multi-Age Visual Arts.
“I want to be an art teacher someday,” she said.
There have been several Covington athletes over the years who put in the hard work and determination in high school to set themselves up for athletic and educational opportunities at the collegiate level. Elyza Long is in the same mold as her hard work has set up her path for future success at Findlay. This is where she will be coached by Eric Wymer in both sports.
“I just keep training,” she said. “I always run and I started running with my mom. She always ran 5Ks and that’s why I started running. When I got into junior high I started running in cross country and track and just kept going.”
In cross country, Elyza has set the school record with a time of 18:22.7 and made it to state twice, first in 2021 where she finished 35th at state and then again in 2024 when she finished 13th at state. Unfortunately, illness prevented her from making it to state in 2022 and 2023 as a sophomore and junior, but her desire to put in the time and effort never relented.
With her senior track season still ahead of her, Elyza has already established herself as one of the premier distance runners in school history as she is a two-time state qualifier. In track, she went to state in 2022 in the 3200 and then again in 2024 in the 4×800 meter relay while being led by coaches Dave Tobias and Josh Long, her father.
“I hope to make it back to state this year,” she said. “I’m planning on running the 800, 1600, 3200 and some relays throughout the year.”
And in preparation for the remainder of her high school career and college future, Elyza is still putting in a lot of hard work. She is also competing in indoor track meets.
“I climb up two miles every week,” she explained of her training method. “Right now I am also running in indoor meets that are hosted by colleges. I’m doing what I want to do in the sport I love.”
Her father, Josh Long, who coaches her in both sports, explained her training method throughout her high school career.
“She puts in so much work and gets better every year,” Josh said. “In her freshman year, she started with 20 miles per week and the objective was to increase her speed and distance each and every year. Now, in her senior year, she runs 50 miles per week.”
Covington residents witness her hard work first hand as they see Elyza running nearly every day when driving through town or cruising down country roads outside of the village.
In time, Findlay will witness the same thing.
