Willis Completes USA-NCAA Double

EUGENE, Ore. – Stanford rising senior Roisin Willis won the 800 meters at the U.S. Track and Field Championships on Sunday at Hayward Field.

Willis, the reigning NCAA outdoor champion, passed five runners in the final 120 meters and crossed the finish line in 1:59.26 to complete a rare U.S.-NCAA double. She became the first in that event to win both titles in the same year since Cal’s Alysia Johnson in 2007 and is the fourth ever to do so, joining Tennessee’s Delisa Walton in 1982 and Oregon’s Claudette Groenendaal in 1985.

After a slowish first lap with Willis coming through the bell in third at 1:00.94, Willis found herself in poor position as she entered the final turn -- boxed in along the rail. A slight position and stumble by Addy Wiley in fourth place opened a lane for Willis to escape.

She weaved her way from the inside to the outside and surged past Maggi Congdon (1:59.39) and Sage Hurta-Klecker (1:59.48) to win. Willis’ final lap was 58.33.

Willis, the 2022 World Under-20 800 and 4x400 relay champion, qualified for her first senior global championship. She will run in the World Championships Sept 13-25 in Tokyo.

Willis will be joined by alumna and two-time Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman ’17, who captured her seventh consecutive U.S. women’s discus title, with a throw of 234-5 (71.45 meters).

Also clinching berths at Worlds are Grant Fisher ’19, who was second in the men’s 5,000 and 10,000 at this meet, and Elise Cranny ’18, who second among women at the same distances.

Decathlete Harrison Williams ’18 and heptathlete Allie Jones ’22 each took third, but have yet to clinch spots in Tokyo based on World qualifying standards.

Stanford rising senior Alyssa Jones tied for third in distance in the long jump, breaking her own school record at 22-7 ¾ (6.90), but dropped to fourth on a tiebreaker. She also placed seventh in the high jump at 5-10 ¾ (1.80).

Stanford had four current athletes competing in the meet. In addition to Willis and Jones, rising senior Juliette Whittaker and rising junior Sophia Kennedy competed as well. Whittaker, who placed seventh in the 2024 Olympic final in Paris, advanced to the semifinals in the 800 before placing 19th overall.

Kennedy was 10th in the 5,000 in 15:27.16 in her first U.S. Championships.

At the U.S. Para Championships on the same track, Stanford rising senior Sydney Barta won the 200 in a personal record 26.70 and placed second in the 100 in 13.52 to advance to the World Championships in both events in the T64 category.

U.S. Championships
At Hayward Field
July 31-Aug. 3

Men
5,000 – 2, Grant Fisher ’19 (Nike Swoosh TC) 13:26.75; 7, Thomas Ratcliffe ’20 (Nike Swoosh TC) 13:28.22; 11, Sean McGorty ’17 (Nike Swoosh TC) 13:31.27.
10,000 – 2, Grant Fisher ’19 (Nike Swoosh TC) 29:02.37. 
Decathlon – 3, Harrison Williams ’18 (Nike) 8,223.

Women
800 – 1, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 1:59.26. Semifinals: 8, Willis 1:59.60; 13, Olivia Baker ’18 (Atlanta TC Elite) 2:00.16; 19, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 2:01.66. First round: 3, Baker 2:00.47; Willis 2:01.43; 14, Whittaker 2:01.50.
1,500 – First round: 16, Christina Aragon ’20 (Nike Swoosh TC) 4:08.76; 22, Maddy Berkson ’18 (Battle Road TC) 4:11.23; 29, Jessica Lawson McGorty ’21 (Puma) 4:16.37; 32, Melissa Tanaka, M.S. ’23 (unat.) 4:19.06.
5,000 – 2, Elise Cranny ’18 (Nike Swoosh TC) 15:14.26; 8, Ella Donaghu ’21 (Nike Swoosh TC) 15:22.15; 10, Sophia Kennedy (Stanford) 15:27.16; 16, Lucy Jenks ’24 (Saucony) 15:33.82. 
10,000 – 2, Elise Cranny ’18 (Nike Swoosh TC) 31:44.24; 5, Jessica Tonn McClain ’14 (Brooks) 32:03.84; 12, Vanessa Fraser ’17 (Saucony) 33:08.28. 
High jump – 7, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 5-10 ¾ (1.80). 
Long jump – 4, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 22-7 ¾ (6.90) (school record). 
Discus – 1, Valarie Allman ’17 (ASICS/New York AC) 234-5 (71.45). 
Heptathlon – 3, Allie Jones ’22 (unat.) 6,164.

U.S. Para Championships
At Hayward Field
July 31-Aug. 2

Women
100 – T64: 2, Sydney Barta (Stanford) 13.52.
200 – T64: 1, Sydney Barta (Stanford) 26.70 (PB).

PB = personal best