STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford’s Roisin Willis was named West Region Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Friday.
Willis won the 800-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in a meet record 1:58.13 – the third-fastest time in collegiate history. It was the third career NCAA title for the junior from Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Willis becomes the third Cardinal woman to win West Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, following 800 specialist Olivia Baker in 2016 and 400 hurdler Kori Carter in 2013.
In the NCAA final in Eugene, Oregon, Willis won a race that included the second-, third-, and fourth-fastest women in collegiate history. Willis was patient and then made her move on the top of the final turn, passing four runners down the stretch to win going away.
Her time was an Atlantic Coast Conference record and personal best, and her performance helped Stanford to sixth as a team. Among all dates (including indoors and outdoors and non-collegiate meets), her time was the eighth-fastest among collegians in history. Willis’ time is the second-fastest all-time at Stanford.
The West Region honor is especially noteworthy for Willis because that was an extremely strong category, with four individual NCAA champions to choose from. The others were 100 winner Samirah Moody of USC, 1,500 winner Sophie O’Sullivan of Washington, and 100 hurdles champion Aaliyah McCormick of Oregon.
The difference for Willis was her meet record – unique among that group – and her place at No. 3 on the all-time collegiate list.