Willis is first Stanford female athlete with sub-2 performance at Windy City Invitational, with she and Whittaker the first teammates to both run under 2:00.50 in same race; Rose wins in 2:00.18 at David Hemery Valentine Invitational, placing trio within striking distance of Mu’s collegiate indoor record

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Kevin Dorsey

The women’s 800 meters saw a level of excellence achieved Friday by a collegiate trio, including a pair of teammates, never before witnessed in NCAA indoor history.

Stanford freshman Roisin Willis became only the second collegiate female competitor to produce a sub-2 indoor performance by winning the Windy City Invitational in 1 minute, 59.95 seconds at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center at Gately Park in Chicago.

Willis elevated to No. 2 in NCAA indoor history, trailing only the 2021 mark of 1:58.40 produced by Texas A&M’s Athing Mu at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

Juliette Whittaker, another Stanford freshman, clocked 2:00.32 to ascend to the No. 4 all-time collegiate indoor competitor.

Willis and Whittaker became the only teammates in collegiate history to run under 2:00.50 in the 800 in the same race, indoors or outdoors. Willis is also the first Stanford female athlete to eclipse the 2-minute barrier.

LSU sophomore Michaela Rose also placed herself among the elite indoor 800 performers in NCAA history, elevating to No. 3 by running 2:00.18 to secure victory ahead of Harvard commit Sophia Gorriaran of Moses Brown High in Rhode Island at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at the Track and Tennis Center at Boston University.

The only time three collegiate female athletes previously ran under 2:00.50 in the 800 on the same day was at the 1990 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships, with Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor Hamilton winning in 1:59.11, Tennessee’s Jasmin Jones clocking 2:00.24 and Harvard’s Meredith Rainey taking third in 2:00.48.