The Ladue senior set out to tackle that task from the beginning of the year. Many athletes talk about goals like these, but Levin had the means to make it happen. And by doing so, Levin has earned Post-Dispatch All-Metro girls' track co-athlete of the year honors.
She shares the honor with Breese Central's versatile athlete Jena Hemann, who has the top high jump mark in the nation this year.
Levin has been turning heads since she hit the high school circuit as a freshman, but one injury after another kept her from reaching her full potential. That is until her senior year, when she remained healthy and determined.
She followed through on her quest and broke the Missouri 800-meter record during the prelims on the first day of the Class 4 state meet, running a 2:08.55. That broke the 1992 mark of 2:09.78 set by Hazelwood Central's Ann Heffner.
Ladue coach Keith Harder was present when Heffner set the record. He never thought he would see it come down.
"I remember sitting in the crowd, and the whole crowd was like, ‘That'll never be broken,'" Harder said. "No one was running under 2:13 then."
Levin knew she had a state record time in her. She had run a 2:09.27 last summer at the USATF Youth Nationals.
But from the moment Levin crossed the finish line with the new record in hand, she was not satisfied. She came back less than 24 hours later on the second day of the state meet and lowered that mark to 2:06.74. Heffner's 19-year-old record had been lowered by more than 3 seconds.
"It was my goal to break the record, so I was not surprised, but I'm happy that I did it," Levin said. "I did it over the summer (unofficially), but I had to go do it again. I wanted to break it by more than a second.
"It all builds up at practice. I have to think of the work I've done up to that point, and it motivates me."
Levin's state-record time was the fourth-best mark in the nation this year.
She's already hit another record -- a 2:10.62 at the Great Southwestern Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., which set a new meet record at elevation. And while it was another record, she's still not satisfied. She's said she wants to hit 2:02 by summer's end.
"I ran that race a little different, so I'm glad I did it there instead of Juniors," Levin said. "I got out way too fast."
Levin still has USATF Junior Championships, the USA Youth Championships and AAU National Junior Olympics on tap this summer to set even more records, even if they are only personal ones, before she heads to LSU to continue her career.
Levin can amend her skills to nearly any distance desired. In only three attempts at the 400 during the regular season, Levin set a new personal record of 54.46, which is the second-fastest time in the area this year. She ranks in the top 10 in the area in the 200 (24.90) despite running it only once this year, and she ran a sub-5 minute 1,600 in only one attempt at the distance.
She also helped Ladue set the 1,600-meter relay record at 3:48.00. She then teamed up with Ladue's Montenae Roye, McCluer North's Kendra White and Cape Girardeau Central's Asia Thomas to set a new 1,600 relay record of 3:37.65 at the Great Southwest. Roye and White will also be running for LSU.
Harder said he knows Levin has left her mark on Ladue and the program, but he thinks her legacy will linger across the sport in Missouri.
"As far as track and field historians go, she'll be remembered forever," Harder said. "There's no question in my mind.
"There are a certain few athletes, and this could be in any sport, where rivals enjoy watching and see you compete. It's the same way I feel about (former Berkeley standout Alishea) Usery -- she's fun to watch even though she's beating you."
