AUSTIN, Texas – In her first NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Roisin Willis matched the highest finish by a Stanford freshman in the 800 meters, placing fourth in a season-best time.
Willis ran 2:00.91 to jump to No. 3 on Stanford's outdoor all-time list. She also earned her third first-team All-America honor, to go with the two from the indoor season in the 800 and distance medley relay, winning titles in each.
Willis and LSU's Michaela Rose made it a two-person race from the start, with Willis a step behind until Rose extended her lead slightly on the backstretch of the final lap. Willis tried to close the gap, but the effort left her vulnerable as two others passed on the homestretch.
The 800 has been a traditionally strong event for the Stanford women and Regina Jacobs, a multiple U.S. champion as a pro, started that legacy by finishing fourth in the event at the 1982 NCAA Championships. Willis becomes the highest-placing Stanford freshman since them.
Lucy Jenks. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Stanford's final competitor of the four-day meet was junior Lucy Jenks in the 5,000. Jenks earned her highest national finish, placing 14th in 16:08.16.
With eight points from Alyssa Jones' runner-up finish in the long jump on Thursday, and with Willis' five in the 800, Stanford finished with 13 points. That placed the Cardinal in a tie with Vanderbilt for 20th.
The men's competition concluded on Friday with the Stanford men – thanks to victories in the 5,000 and 10,000 by Ky Robinson and a 200 victory by Udodi Onwuzurike -- placing third with 44 points.
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NCAA Outdoor Championships
At Mike A. Myers Stadium
Saturday's results
Women
Team leaders (final) – 1, Texas 83; 2, Florida 51; 3, Arkansas 46; 4, Oregon 44; 5, Texas A&M 36; 20, Stanford 13.
800 – 1, Michaela Rose (LSU) 1:59.83; 4, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 2:00.91 (No. 3 Stanford AT).
5,000 – 1, Parker Valby (Florida) 15:30.57; 14, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 16:08.16.
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Stanford's All-Americans
Men
First team: Charles Hicks (5,000, 10,000), Udodi Onwuzurike (100, 200), Ky Robinson (5,000, 10,000).
Women
First team: Alyssa Jones (long jump), Roisin Willis (800).
Second team: Lucy Jenks (5,000), Alyssa Jones (4x100), Alexa Rossum (4x100, 4x400), Maya Valmon (4x100, 4x400), Juliette Whittaker (4x400), Cydney Wright (4x100, 4x400).