Union Catholic's Paige Sheppard Isn't Just Chasing Victories; She's Chasing History

Every great runner eventually reaches the point where winning races is expected. From there, the questions change.

How fast can she go?

Which records will fall next?

Could she someday become an Olympian?

Union Catholic's Paige Sheppard has reached that point before beginning her senior year.

What fuels her deep passion for the sport?

“Running is something that I’ve always done. I think there’s just something that is really freeing about it. Especially when you’re having a bad day or just really stressed or whatever, you can kind of escape into that. So there is something that very grounding about running.”

Learning From a Legendary Coach

Union Catholic head coach Mike McCabe, who recently completed his 23rd year leading the program, has had the great fortune of coaching this kind of generational talent before. The same coach who molded Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone into a four-time Olympic gold medalist and professional champion sprinter and hurdler has guided Sheppard’s development since she was a child.

“I’ve known Paige since she was seven and of course I’ve known Sydney a long time,” McCabe said. I think Sydney is the best female track athlete ever. She’s the best. Sydney lost one or two races as a freshman and then never lost again in high school. That’s just unbelievable. And then in college she was unbelievable.”

Much as he did with McLaughlin. McCabe has intentionally limited Sheppard’s training volume.

“Paige is so good in a different event area, one which I think drives itself more towards you’re going to get a little bit better when you’re older,” he explained. “I think you have the ability, on the female side, to be an elite world-class sprinter when you’re younger. It’s just, in those middle and long distance events where Paige competes, it just takes more years to build that strength. So Sydney was able to get ahead of it a little and make that Olympic team.”

That philosophy isn't accidental.

“I treat her just the same way that I treated Sydney,” McCabe added. “I undertrained Sydney intentionally, knowing that as she moved forward she would have a high ceiling. My goal was not to squeeze everything out of her in high school. With Paige, it’s the same way as I coached Sydney, she’s probably running like two-thirds the amount of miles that her competitors are and she’s beating most of them most of the time.”

A Family Built for Competition

Sheppard comes from a family that understands elite competition. Her father, Dustin Sheppard, was a standout soccer player at Rutgers University before enjoying a professional career that included time with the New York Red Bulls. Her mother competed in multiple sports growing up, swimming, squash, and especially field hockey, before walking on to the track team at Rutgers as a college athlete.

Their younger son has followed the family’s soccer tradition as a standout at St. Joseph’s in Metuchen. Paige has often credited that deep athletic foundation, along with the steady guidance of her parents, for giving her the discipline and perspective needed to handle the pressures that come with early success.

From Rising Star to National Contender

The Union Catholic standout has transformed from a promising freshman into one of the nation's elite middle and long distance runners. Whether racing against New Jersey's best or lining up against the country's top high school talent, Sheppard has repeatedly delivered when the stakes were highest.

Sheppard’s breakthrough on the national stage came during the 2025 outdoor season, her sophomore year, when she stunned one of the deepest fields of the year by winning the girls mile at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Sheppard closed with authority to capture the title in a meet-record 4:33.67, eclipsing the national sophomore class record while becoming one of the youngest athletes ever to combine a sub-2:02 800 meters with a sub-4:34 mile.

Just weeks earlier, she had announced herself as one of the fastest 800-meter runners in U.S. prep history at the Brooks PR Invitational. Racing against a premier national field, Sheppard ran a sensational 2:01.50 to shatter the national sophomore class record and establish herself as one of the country’s brightest rising stars.

Rising to Elite Competition

Instead of treating those performances as a career peak, Sheppard used them as a springboard. Her junior indoor season elevated her to another level. Sheppard finished second in the women’s 800 meters in a blistering 2:02.35 while competing against professionals at the 2026 USATF Indoor Championships. This performance broke her own New Jersey high school record and demonstrated she belonged on the same track as some of the nation’s top senior runners.

Two weeks later in Boston, she added another national championship to her collection. At the New Balance Nationals Indoor, Sheppard patiently worked through the opening laps before unleashing a devastating final push to pull away for the 800-meter title in 2:04.25. It was a textbook championship race, showcasing the tactical patience and explosive finishing kick that have become trademarks of her racing style.

The night before that victory, Sheppard helped produce one of the greatest relay performances in high school history. Leading off Union Catholic’s distance medley relay with a remarkable 3:19.27 carry over 1,200 meters, she set the tone for a breathtaking national-record performance of 11:06.13. The Vikings demolished the previous national standard by more than 11 seconds, further cementing Union Catholic’s reputation as one of America’s premier relay programs.

The outdoor season brought even more history. At the Arcadia Invitational in California, one of the country’s most prestigious meets, Sheppard captured the elite 800-meter title in 2:05.07. Earlier in the meet, she also helped Union Catholic rewrite the national record books by running on the Vikings’ sprint medley relay that clocked 3:47.35, establishing a new U.S. high school record.

Her success continued through championship season. Sheppard earned the 800-meter title at the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, running 2:01.76 to secure a place on Team USA alongside the nation’s top junior athletes. Even when she wasn’t racing individually, Sheppard remained one of the country’s most valuable relay runners. She helped Union Catholic set a New Jersey record of 3:35.81 in the 4x400 relay while earning a podium finish at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

Olympic Dreams, Stanford and What's Next

On her ultimate potential, McCabe sees an Olympic appearance and a professional running career as possibilities but emphasizes patience. “I would say she has all of the tools to be an Olympian. It’s just so hard to make an Olympic team... Probably the 2032 Olympic Games are in Brisbane, Australia would be her best chance.” He believes her best event may eventually be the 1,500 meters. “I think that in time the 1,500 mile may turn into her best event when she’s in her 20’s. She can be one of the best 1,500-meter runners in the world.”

Why She Runs

Sheppard herself reflects on her path with a mix of humility and quiet confidence. She first realized her talent stood out in middle school. “In middle school when I would run the 800, I think my time was right around 2:10 or faster when a lot of the girls were around 2:20. That’s when I recall first knowing that I was pretty fast.”

Racing boys early on helped sharpen her edge. “I think running against boys at a young age was super beneficial because at a young age boys don’t usually run in a straight line. Plus it gets you used to running at a faster pace.”

More than individual accolades, some of Sheppard’s most cherished memories come from team achievements. “Number one for me would be the 4x800 national record that we set my freshman year. We only ran that race like two or three times together. And then two weeks later at Nationals we ran 8:34 which was crazy.” Another highlight was the turnaround at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN). “Getting to podium at NXN was amazing as it was something that we had worked really hard for since July. So, to work so hard for six months with the same group that four years earlier had finished in last place was a great feeling.”

Her choice of Stanford for college came down to environment and fit.

“Why I chose Stanford, in addition to the academics, was the weather out there especially after the brutal winter that we just had here in New Jersey. And just the whole team environment, and the coaching, the girls were just so welcoming.”

A Legacy Still to Be Written

Numbers alone do not fully capture Sheppard’s impact. Whenever she steps to the starting line, coaches and competitors alike have come to expect poise under pressure, smart tactical decisions and a relentless finishing gear. Long after the records are eventually broken, Paige Sheppard’s pre-collegiate legacy will be remembered for something even greater which is a remarkable ability to deliver her very best when the moment mattered most and the competition was the strongest.

“I think qualifying for an Olympics and professional running are definitely possibilities,” she says. “At the end of the day, I just want to continue to enjoy running. Whether it results in the Olympics or a professional running career, I just want it to remain a passion of mine.”

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