UC Runs Big at NB Outdoor Nationals ’25
Written by: Jim Lambert
The Union Catholic girls distance medley relay squad produced the greatest performance in U.S. high school history with a mind-boggling race, and Paige Sheppard did something no one in the world has ever done at her age at the New Balance Championships that concluded on Sunday at historic Franklin Field.
During the 4-day meet, the Vikings also broke the NJ record in the girls 4×200 relay and produced 15 All-Americans. The UC boys also had some very strong races, including an All-American finish in the 4×800 relay. More on that later.
First, let’s dive right into the epic races by the girls DMR crew and Sheppard.
Paige Sheppard executed her race plan to perfection and used her wicked kick to take down the defending champion in the girls mile and break several big records, including a world age group record, with an electrifying performance on Saturday.
The sophomore at Union Catholic, who is poised beyond her years when it comes to her sound race tactics, outkicked defending champion Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura, Calif. to finish first in a stunning and eye-popping 4:33.67, the fastest time in the history of the world for a 15 year old!!!! And it’s the fourth fastest time in U.S. high school history.
Englehardt was second in 4:34.46 and Union Catholic sophomore Sophia Thompson was eighth in 4:41.84. .
Here are the all the records that Sheppard broke with her jaw-dropping victory.
The 4:33.67 by Sheppard, who won’t turn 16 until November 24, broke the girls world record for a 15 year-old of 4:35.16 that Englehardt ran at the 2022 Arcadia Invitational!
Sheppard also took down the national sophomore record of 4:33.87 set in 2018 by the great Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland, N.Y, smashed the NJ record of 4:39.25 set in 2006 by Danielle Tauro of Southern, and shattered the meet record of 4:37.04 that Englehardt ran as a junior last year.
Englehardt, the favorite based on the U.S. No. 2 all-time 4:28.46 she ran on May 30 at the HOKA Festival of Miles in Missouri, took the lead after a 68.94 third lap, but she couldn’t shake Sheppard, who stayed right on Englehardt’s shoulder until it was time to pull the trigger.
As has been the case all season, when Sheppard hit the gas it was game over.
Sheppard, who had splits of 1:10.78, 1:10.92 (2:21.70), and 68.94 (3:30.63) for the first three laps, ripped a 63.04 final quarter!!!!
Sheppard now owns the fastest times by a sophomore in U.S. history in both the mile and the 800, and she holds all the NJ records in the 1,600 and mile-both indoors and outdoors, making her the undisputed NJ mile G.O.A.T!!!!
At the Brooks PR Invitational on June 8, Sheppard finished first in 2:01.50, a national sophomore record, No. 3 in NJ history, and No. 11 in U.S. history.
Ever since narrowly missing the national record in the distance medley relay two months ago, the Union Catholic girls have been aiming to take it down at the New Balance National Championships.
The Vikings didn’t just break it on Sunday in Philadelphia, they blew the record apart by dropping a bomb on the Franklin Field oval with an absolute masterpiece, stopping the clock at a mind-boggling 11:12.20!!
Union Catholic obliterated the national and meet record of 11:20.44 that Cuthbertson of North Carolina ran to finish first at the NB National Championships last year.
UC’s 11:12.20 also breaks the overall (indoors/outdoors combined) national high school DMR record of 11:17.50 that Cuthbertson ran at the 2024 New Balance National Indoor Championships in Boston.
The lineup for UC’s record-breaking DMR consisted of sophomore Sophia Thompson (3:25.76), senior Taylor Aska (53.69 ), sophomore Kayla Devine (2:16.79) and sophomore Paige Sheppard (4:35.97).
UC came with four seconds and change of breaking Cuthbertson’s record when the Vikings ran 11:24.53 to smash the meet record on this same track at the Penn Relays in April.
Where did UC’s big time drop come from?
A look inside the numbers shows that Thompson ran 2.45 seconds faster on the 1,200 leg tha he did at Penn, Aska cut .80 from what she ran at Penn, Devine, who didn’t run at the Penn Relays, ran 3.30 seconds faster than UC’s 800 leg did at Penn, and Sheppard sliced 5.68 seconds off her split from the Penn Relays. Less then 24 hours earlier, Sheppard smashed the NJ record and World 15 year-old age record by winning the mile on Saturday in 4:33.67,
To put into perspective just how fast Union Catholic’s 11:12.20 is, their time would be No. 10 on the NCAA list for this past season. That’s right, only 9 NCAA women’s teams ran faster in the DMR in 2025 than UC just did!!!
Simply amazing!!!
4X200 BREAKS NJ RECORD
In the girls 4×200, the UC girls demolished the NJ record by blasting a 1:35.89 to finish second. Bullis of Maryland won the race in 1:33.84.
UC’s 1:35.89 smashed the state record of 1:37.53 that UC ran at the 2017 Union County Relays at Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield. The 2017 team featured the legendary Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who led off for the Vikings that day.
UC’s record-breaking foursome on Friday consisted of freshman Maya Wyche (24.1), senior Taylor Cox (23.9), sophomore Sydney Chadwick (23.7), and senior Taylor Aska (23.9).
Chadwick, who earned All-American honors earlier on Friday when she ran a PR of 59.05 to place sixth in the 400 hurdles, is the younger sister of Amaya Chadwick, who ran on the UC squad that held the pervious NJ record.
MORE BIG HIGHLIGHTS
Taylor Cox, the defending champ in the 100 hurdles, finished fourth in 13.5. Cox
On the boys side, the foursome of junior Elijah McCoy (1:55.43), sophomore Quintin Clemons (1:52.93, junior Ciaran Brosnan (1:54.55), and junior Keandre Kelly (1:52.5) combined to finish fifth in 7:35.44, the fourth fastest time in NJ history!!
