Paige Sheppard reset her U.S. No. 1 time and smashed her meet record when she threw down one of the fastest times in U.S. high school history to win the girls' 800-meter run at the Brooks PR Invitational at Renton Memorial Stadium on Sunday in Renton, Washington.
Sheppard, a junior at Union Catholic, added to her legendary legacy by stopping the clock at 2:00.65!!! That ties the Stanford-bound Sheppard for No. 7 all-time in U.S. history, ties her for No. 11 on the all-time U.S. Under-20 list, is No. 2 all-time in NJ history, is No. 2 on the current U.S. Under 20 list for this season, and her time shattered the meet record of 2:01.50 that Sheppard ran to win last year.
Sheppard's wire-to-wire victory led a 1-2-6 finish for New Jersey.
Junior
Reagan Moore of Oak Knoll finished second in a big PR of 2:04.08 and
Abbey Robisky of Union Catholic was sixth in a NJ freshman record 2:05.24,
which is No. 4 in U.S. history for a freshman!!
Sheppard left no doubt about the outcome as she took the lead right away and went through the first 400 in 1:01.31. Sheppard kept hammering on the second lap and ran away from the field with a closing quarter of 59.35!!!
Sheppard, who won her second straight 1,600 at the NJ Meet of Champions on Wednesday, is now a perfect 4-0 at the Brooks PR. Invit. She won the Junior Mile as a seventh and eighth grader before winning the 800 last year as a sophomore.
Robisky's 2:05.24, broke the NJ freshman record of 2:06.04 that Dylan Hosty of Haddonfied ran to place fourth at the Meet of Champions this past Wednesday.
With her 2:00.65, Sheppard sliced her PR by nearly a full second off the 2:01.50 she ran at Brooks last year, and she lowered her U.S. No. 1 time this season, which had been the 2:01.84 she ran last month at the Highlander Invitational in Berkeley Heights.
Sheppard is now No. 2 in NJ history behind the 2:00.11 that Natalie Dumas of Eastern ran to finish first at the New Balance National Championships last June at Frankli Field in Philadelphia.
HERE IS THE UPDATED U.S. ALL-TIME 800 LIST
| Rank | Athlete | State | Time | Year |
|---|
| 1 | Juliette Whittaker | Maryland | 1:59.04 | 2022 |
| 2 | Mary Cain | New York | 1:59.51 | 2014 |
| 3 | Roisin Willis | Wisconsin | 2:00.03 | 2022 |
| 4 | Kim Gallagher | Pennsylvania | 2:00.07 | 1982 |
| 5 | Natalie Dumas | New Jersey | 2:00.11 | 2025 |
| 6 | Emmry Ross | Michigan | 2:00.25 | 2025 |
| T-7 | Sammy Watson | New York | 2:00.65 | 2017 |
| T-7 | Sophia Gorriaran | Rhode Island | 2:00.65 | 2023 |
| T-7 | Paige Sheppard | New Jersey | 2:00.65 | 2026 |
Paige Sheppard reset her U.S. No. 1 time and smashed her meet record when she threw down one of the fastest times in U.S. high school history to win the girls' 800-meter run at the Brooks PR Invitational at Renton Memorial Stadium on Sunday in Renton, Washington.
Sheppard, a junior at Union Catholic, added to her legendary legacy by stopping the clock at 2:00.65!!! That ties the Stanford-bound Sheppard for No. 7 all-time in U.S. history, ties her for No. 11 on the all-time U.S. Under-20 list, is No. 2 all-time in NJ history, is No. 2 on the current U.S. Under 20 list for this season, and her time shattered the meet record of 2:01.50 that Sheppard ran to win last year.
Sheppard's wire-to-wire victory led a 1-2-6 finish for New Jersey.
Junior
Reagan Moore of Oak Knoll finished second in a big PR of 2:04.08 and
Abbey Robisky of Union Catholic was sixth in a NJ freshman record 2:05.24,
which is No. 4 in U.S. history for a freshman!!
Sheppard left no doubt about the outcome as she took the lead right away and went through the first 400 in 1:01.31. Sheppard kept hammering on the second lap and ran away from the field with a closing quarter of 59.35!!!
