Long competed in four years of track and field and cross country from 1998-2001 under coaches Pat Henner, Dave Rinker and Bill Walton. He set numerous JMU records and a CAA record while also winning two CAA Championships and competing in multiple NCAA Championships.
A five-time All-American and five-time All-East athlete, Long's individual CAA titles were captured in the 1,500-meter run in 1999 and the 800-meter race in 2001. He competed in the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 800. As a professional, he broke four minutes in the mile, posting a time of 3:59.99. In 2010, Long was named to the CAA Silver (25th) Anniversary Men's Track & Field Team.
In 1998, Long was part of JMU's first All-America relay team. He ran the first leg as part of the distance medley team that still ranks second all-time in JMU history. The team went on to take eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Long took second place in the 800-meter (1:51.29) at the Duke Invitational to meet IC4A qualification and finished the season with All-CAA and All-East honors.
In 1999, Long earned his second consecutive distance medley relay All-America honor as the leadoff leg of the seventh-place unit. He earned All-CAA cross country honors as well as All-East honors. On the track, he placed second in the 1,000-meter to break the JMU record and previous Eastern Collegiate record (2:21.62). That mark still holds second place in JMU history. He again earned All-America honors in the outdoor 1,500-meter and finished in sixth place in the NCAA Championships. Long earned another All-East honor in the 1,500 with a third-place finish at the IC4A meet after winning the CAA Championship in the event with a 3:43.30 time, a meet record that still stands today. He also set the JMU outdoor 800-meter record with a time of 1:47.06.
The Dukes ranked No. 1 in the CAA in the indoor distance medley relay, outdoor distance medley relay and 4 X 1 mile relay. Long was also individually ranked No. 1 for the outdoor 800m.
Long's outdoor program records include the 800 (1:47.06), the 6,000-meter relay (16:31.07) and the distance medley relay (9:39.15). He set second-place marks in the 1,500, 3,200-meter relay, 6,000 relay, and the distance medley relay. His indoor rankings include fourth place in school history in the 800, second in the 1,000, second in the mile and seventh all-time in the 3,200 relay. He is part of five of the top 10 indoor distance medley squads, including the record of 9:36.62.
Long set the freshman record in the 1,500 and met NCAA Provisional standards at the Boston University Terrier Indoor Classic. He was also a member of the second place distance medley team that qualified for the NCAA Championships and set the JMU record at the Virginia Tech Last Chance Meet.