Athlete Julia Rizio Works Hard to Be a Leader

At just over 5-feet-tall, Montville’s Julia Rizio stands about a head shorter than some of the best sprinters in New Jersey. But that’s the only way she comes up short, as the Mustang star sprinter continuously finds a way to rise above the competition.

To call Rizio’s junior campaign successful would come up strides short, as 2011 was a season that saw Rizio take home Morris County titles in both the 100-meter and 200-meter, as well as her first ever Group III championship in the 100-meter (which was followed by an impressive second place finish in the meet of champions).

At the forefront of Rizio’s success is an impeccable drive to succeed, an attention to detail and an obvious array of talent.

“Her sprint form is as close to perfect as I’ve seen, and it’s what gives a kid that’s a little bit taller than five-feet a shot,” explained Montville girls track coach Mark Philhower. “Lining up in the M of C and at the group meet, everyone else is a head taller than her. You think what that means in terms of stride length…but she literally puts her feet down five strides to everybody else’s four.”

Philhower, who says that Rizio’s split times are “impossibly fast," also credits his top sprinter with being a more efficient runner than her competitors.

Just another result of her hard-working and dedicated mentality.

It’s because of her realistic approach that Rizio has surged ahead of the competition, as she strives to constantly better herself, making her name as truly one of the county's best.

“Coach Phil always tells me that I put my feet down the fastest on the track,” Rizio said, “and I know if I can put my feet down faster, it’s going to be okay. I just know that I have to run my hardest and I can’t really worry about the other people.”

Rizio’s uncanny ability to hustle was also on display with the Montville relay teams, as she anchored a group to a title in the Madison Dodgertown Relays (setting a meet record in the 100-meter and winning the race by about 30 yards), and to a school record breaking time at the MCT in the 100-meter, good enough to finish second overall in Morris County.

“I love my relay team,” Rizio says. “We’re all really close and it’s a lot of fun when we’re doing it. My mindset is that I never want to lose, so when I get the stick I’m running for first. I guess that improves our time.”

“You’ve got a kid that you can base relays around,” Phillhower said. “The other sprinters that find a spot on the relay that has Julia running anchor, it puts a positive kind of pressure on them because they know that they’ve got a relay that has a shot at winning.”

Working with the idea of perfecting what she can do, and having an understanding that there’s a lot very talented runners out there, has fueled Rizio to MCT titles in both her freshman and junior seasons, and her first ever Group III title in 2011.

“For Julia to come up with a second place finish in the 100-meter in the M of C, and finish top 15 in the 200-meter in the state, it’s just a phenomenal end to the season,” Philhower said. “And she’s way up on the list in Morris County history with her time in the 100-meter [this season].”

Rizio remains modest, though, simply refusing to give up, whether it be in the training room, or during a race.

“It’s just so rewarding because there are times that you just want to go home and lay down but you need to just keep going,” she explained. “Whenever I’d be in a tough workout, I’d just remind myself that if I want to be the best, I have to work hard.”