With 2:04 800, Christina Aragon's Kick Becomes Best In The Nation

One week removed from winning the adidas Dream Mile, Christina Aragon of Billings, Mont. cemented her status as the nation's leading middle distance runner with a 2:04.00 800m win at the Brooks PR Invitational. The run was a nearly six-second personal best for the high school junior, whose 4:37.91 last weekend ranks U.S. No. 8 All-Time.

Aaliyah Miller of McKinney Boyd, Texas was the early pace setter for a sharp pack that rolled six deep. The junior ran straddling lanes one and two, allowing top seed Jordyn Colter to sneak into the inside of lane one. The Colorado state record holder (2:04.56) in Colter pushed the field to a 61-second opening quarter, as the hot pace left just the top six girls in contention.

The backstretch after the bell lap was a madhouse as Texas sophomore Julia Heymach swung wide into lane three, though Colter still held the lead with Minnesota state record holder (2:06.5) Ruby Stauber right on her shoulder. Lying in wait at the back of the pack was Aragon, who burst off the final curve with the fastest homestretch sprint to steal the title in lane two.

Aragon broke 2:10 just once prior to this meet, with a best effort of 2:09.

"Whatever place you're in, you want to get everything out of yourself," she said of a finishing kick that is becoming her signature.