ICONIC: Rachel Glenn

Just two months ago, Rachel Glenn turned 23 years old. Most people can only dream to accomplish some of the achievements that she has earned.

Glenn is native of Long Beach, California, the same city that produced legendary figures such as actresses Bo Derek and Cameron Diaz, rappers Snoop Dogg and Warren G, singer Nate Dogg, baseball player Tony Gwynn and tennis star as well as women's equality activist Billie Jean King.

Standing at six feet and two inches, Glenn was a state champion in the 300-meter hurdles and high jump while attending Wilson High School.

The young woman traveled across the country to start her collegiate career at South Carolina after entertaining offers from Arizona State, Michigan, University of Miami, Oregon, Texas and UCLA.

"I really liked the team the first time I got there, they felt like family, like I already knew them for a long time." Glenn said after her signing party in the fall of 2019. "I felt more at home, like I would be really comfortable there."

The talented jumper was able to make herself feel at home at South Carolina as she found success very quickly. Glenn became a runner-up in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships as a freshman in 2021. She followed that with wins at the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships during the same year.

As a sophomore Glenn continued to be one of the best high jumpers on the collegiate level. She was the SEC runner-up during the indoor and outdoor seasons and finished top three at the indoor and outdoor 2022 NCAA championships meets.

Despite having an NIL deal with WWE, 2023 was a rough year in 2023 as she missed the indoor and outdoor seasons due to injury. The following year, Glenn made a move from South Carolina to its conference foe, Arkansas.

The year of 2024 was a dream for Glenn. After taking another second place finish at the SEC Indoor Championships, she appeared at her third NCAA Indoor Championships facing the most talented field perhaps in the history of collegiate competition. Glenn found herself in a battle that included defending outdoor NCAA champion Charity Hufnagle of Kentucky, back-to-back defending NCAA indoor champion Lamara Distin of Texas A&M as well as future NCAA champions, Rose Yeboah (Illinois), Temitope Adeshina (Texas Tech) and Elena Kulichenko (Georgia).

On March 9, 2024, in Boston, Mass., Glenn stepped up big under pressure and tied the collegiate high jump record at two meters as she captured the indoor championship. "Coming into the competition, I was not confident in myself," Glenn said after winning. She didn't like her warm-up jumps prior to the contest, so she relied on divine intervention. "It's not even me today, it's God. He's going to get me over this bar," is what she said to herself before the event began.

That win would've been enough for most but not for Glenn. There was so much more in store for the charismatic and tatted up performer. Glenn scored NCAA Outdoor Championships berths in the 400-meter hurdles and high jump. After a disappointing 13th place effort in the high jump, she had a successful 400-meter hurdles race which led to a top three finish.

She went on to qualify for the high jump in the Olympic games following the collegiate season. Since then, Glenn has continued to build a strong following on social media. With over 108,000 followers on Instagram, Glenn provides looks into her choices of fashion as well as life on and off of the track.

She wrapped up her indoor collegiate career this year with another SEC championship win in the high jump as well as a third place showing at the NCAA indoor meet. Her outdoor run at Arkansas ended prematurely. After a third place showing at the SEC Championships, Glenn's season came to a halt as she suffered from a fractured hip injury.

As she encounters her life as a professional, Glenn has a lot of what it takes to become a pop culture star, just as women like Angel Reese of the WNBA and fellow track and field Olympian Sha'Carri Richardson have done during the first half of the decade. With that success can come a lot of public scrutiny and most people are not prepared to deal with the heavy price of fame.

Like the previous Long Beach stars that shined before her, Glenn is equipped with inner-strength, discipline and an undeniable it factor that will help lead her to further progress the popularity of track and field as well as continue to lift the awareness of marketable women in professional athletics.