New Jersey legend Athing Mu, one of the greatest prep runners in US history, wasted no time making her presence felt on the college level with a record-breaking debut for Texas A&M on Saturday.
Mu, who put together an epic career while competing for the Trenton Track Club before graduating from Trenton High last spring, threw down an electrifying victory by running a US Junior indoor record 2:01.07 in the women's 800 meters on her home track at the Ted Nelson Invitational at Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas.
The 2:01.07 by Mu, who turns 19 on June 8, is not only the fastest time ever by a US Junior (Under 20), but it's also the fastest time in the world this year, and places her No. 2 all-time on the World Junior Indoor list, just off the World Junior record of 2:01.03 set in 2004 by the late Meskerem Legesse of Ethiopa, who ran the 1500m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Mu broke the US Junior record of 2:01.78, which was run by Sammy Watson at the Millrose Games when she was a senior at NY's Rush-Henrietta High School. Watson, now a pro, won the NCAA 800m outdoor title for Texas A&M in 2018.
Mu's 2:01.07 also puts her No. 5 on the all-time collegiate indoor list, just .38 off the NCAA record of 2:00.69 set in 2017 by another Texas A&M' great, Jazmine Fray. Fray, who won the NCAA outdoor 800m title in 2019, set her record at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson.
Mu rewrote the record books at the prep level as she put together the greatest career ever from 400 meters through 800 on her way to becoming one of the most coveted recruits to ever come out of the Garden State.
In 2019, Mu set the American women's 600m record when she won the USATF Indoor Championship with a time of 1:23.57, the second-fastest indoor 600m in world history.
During the 2019 outdoor season, Mu won the 800m title at the U20 Pan-American Championships (2:05.50) and USATF U20 Outdoor Championships (2:05.59) before finishing fourth at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a personal best of 2:01.17, making Mu the sixth-fastest 800m runner in high school history.
Then last January, Mu blasted a national record 1:10.22 in the 500m at the Virginia Showcase.
Mu's finished her prep career with the following PR's of 200m - 23.63, 400m - 51.98, 600m (i) - 1:23.57, 800m - 2:01.17, 1500m - 4:33.04.
