STANFORD, Calif. – For 600 meters on Saturday afternoon, Juliette Whittaker and Roisin Willis ran together on their home track.
Never before had the two – Stanford teammates with a combined three NCAA 800-meter championships and two NCAA 1-2 finishes between them – run in the same non-relay race at Cobb Track and Angell Field in their three years at Stanford.
Whittaker and Willis finished first and second, respectively, at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. For those who truly appreciate their talents and their accomplishments, it was a site to remember, because it simply never had happened before.
The second section of the women’s 800 at the Stanford Invitational did not end up as memorable as their pairing. Whittaker paced Willis before stepping off the track just before the final turn and watched Willis cruised to victory in 2:01.72 in her season outdoor debut.
There may be other opportunities to race together at home, but unless it happens in the Payton Jordan Invitational this year or next, or the 2026 Stanford Invitational or Big Meet, it won’t happen again while they’re in a Stanford uniform.
The two-day Stanford Invitational, which began in 1975, was held in perfect conditions, in contrast to the rain, wind, lightning of last year’s version. Overall, six meet records were broken.
For Stanford, the top performances seemed to come in the field: Kaiah Fisher won the women’s collegiate discus section with a throw of 167-4 (51.02), freshman Xavier Drumgoole made his collegiate outdoor debut and placed second in the men’s triple jump at 50-7 ½ (15.43), and Alaysia Oakes with a personal best and in the women’s triple jump. Her distance in the latter of 41-9 ¾ (12.74) placed Oakes No. 10 on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list.
Stanford Invitational
At Cobb Track and Angell Field
Saturday’s results
Men
100 – Final: 1, Robert Stitts (Chabot) 10.42.
800 – Sec. 1: Jamie Phillips (Bradley) 1:50.00. Sec. 2: 4, Zane Bergen (Stanford) 1:50.11. Sec. 3: 1, Matthew Burnett (Bradley) 1:49.31. Sec. 4: 3, Leo Young (Stanford) 1:50.81 (PB).
110 hurdles – Final: 1, Adrian Aguirre (Dominican) 13.83.
4x100 relay – 1, Cal Poly 40.10; Stanford DQ.
Pole vault – 1, Scott Toney (Washington) 17-7 (5.36); 2, Max Manson (unat.) 17-7 (5.36); 5, Garrett Brown (Stanford) 16-3 ¼ (4.96).
Triple jump – Invite: 1, Ethan Fong (San Jose State) 50-11 (15.52); 2, Xavier Drumgoole (Stanford) 50-7 ½ (15.43).
Shot put -- Invite: 1, Corban Payne (Cal Poly) 59-0 3/4 (18.00); 2, Sam Liokumovich (Stanford) 57-9 (17.60); 8, Garin Gross (Stanford) 50-2 (15.29).
Hammer – 1, Travis Martin (Cal Poly) 228-1 (69.52).
Women
100 – Final: 1, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 11.54; 2, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 11.71.
800 – Sec. 1: 1, Chloe Foerster (Washington) 2:00.52 (meet record). Sec. 2: 1, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 2:01.72; Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) DNF; Sec. 3: 5, Hillary Studdert (Stanford) 2:10.76; 9, Cate Peters (Stanford) 2:16.65. Sec. 6: 3, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 2:10.42.
100 hurdles – 1, Sofia Cosculluela (Washington) 13.58.
4x100 relay – 1, Stanford (Teagan Zwaanstra, Alyssa Jones, Alaysia Oakes, Sage Hinton) 44.81.
Triple jump – 1, Emilia Sjostrand (San Jose State) 45-0 ½ (13.73); 6, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 41-9 ¾ (12.74) (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT).
Discus – Invite: 1, Kaiah Fisher (Stanford) 167-4 (51.02); 2, Brandy Atuatasi (unat.) 154-10 (47.20).