SEATTLE – Stanford junior Roisin Willis, a two-time NCAA champion, ran the second-fastest 600 meters by a collegiate woman in history on Friday.
In a meet that acted as Stanford's indoor track and field opener for the full squad, Willis ran a stunning 1:25.74 in her collegiate debut at the distance, leading from the gun to win at the UW Indoor Preview.
The time, run on a 307-meter flat track at Dempsey Indoor, set meet and facility records. Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers held both standards with her 1:26.34 in 2016. The Stanford record, also set at Dempsey Indoor, was 1:28.22 by Olivia Baker in 2017.
Willis hit a sweet spot with that distance. She was the 2023 NCAA indoor 800 champion and the 2024 NCAA outdoor 800 runner-up, but her secondary race is the 400 rather than the 1,500. She also has a 2023 NCAA indoor distance medley relay title, running the 800 leg, but has twice ran in the NCAA Outdoor Championships on the Cardinal 4x400 team.
Because the race was run on an oversized track, it doesn’t count for collegiate indoor record purposes. However, considering all 600s, no matter the track size, Willis ran the second-fastest indoor time in collegiate history, behind only the 1:25.16 by Britton Wilson of Arkansas in 2023 on a 200-meter track. Third is Texas A&M’s Athing Mu, the Tokyo Olympic 800 champion, who ran 1:25.80 in 2021.
This wasn’t the only Stanford record to fall on Friday. In the men’s 1,000, Zane Bergen ran 2:20.87 to place second to Cal Poly’s Aidan McCarthy (2:19.68). Bergen broke the 2014 mark of 2:22.17 set on the Dempsey track by Marco Bertolotti. Including Boston University’s Colyear-Danville Opener on December 7, three Stanford records have fallen in only two days of indoor competition, with Amy Bunnage’s 15:00.75 in the women’s 5,000 being the other.
The 600 and 1,000 are not NCAA events, but Stanford may have gotten a performance that could send an athlete into the NCAA Indoor Championships, of which only the top 16 national times qualify. Graduate student Thomas Boyden made a bid for his first NCAA track and field championship meet by winning the men’s 3,000 in 7:41.85, with teammate Cole Sprout second in 7:45.24. Going into this weekend, there were six faster times in NCAA Division I than Boyden’s, all run at Colyear-Danville. Boyden’s time was the second-fastest in Stanford history.
Stanford collected five victories Friday. Tess Stapleton won two of them, capturing the 60 hurdles in 8.38 and following by winning the long jump at 19-3 ½ (5.88 meters). Besides Boyden and Willis, the other was by Teagan Zwaanstra in the 60.
Zwaanstra set a personal record 7.51 to get into the final and then shattered that mark with a 7.37 to win it. Zwaanstra jumped from No. 10 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list to No. 6.
Overall, there were seven additions or improvements to Stanford’s top-10 lists. In the 35-pound weight throw, Anthony Argyropoulos demolished his two-year-old PB of 62-7 3/4 (19.09m) by throwing 66-5 (20.24m) to place second and move up to No. 6 all-time at Stanford.
In the 600, sophomore Cate Peters entered the list at No. 5, running 1:31.52.
Kevin Yang, the 2023 Pac-12 triple jump champion, has only this indoor season left of eligibility. He made it count by placing second in the triple jump at 49-5 ½ (15.07m).
The meet concludes Saturday with sections of mile races, which meet organizers have labeled “Mile City.” Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker is scheduled to run the fast section of the women’s mile races, in her first track race since the 2024 Olympic 800 final.
UW Indoor Preview
At Dempsey Indoor
(307-meter flat track)
Friday’s results
(Winners and all Stanford)
Men
60 – Prelims: 14, Xavier Drumgoole (Stanford) 6.95; 27, John Kroeger (Stanford) 7.04.
200 – 1, Rui Ramsey (Trinity Western) 21.65; 6, Zachary Ryan (Stanford) 22.08; 10, Gabriel Ajaegbu (Stanford) 22.18; 15, Joseph Bailey (Stanford) 22.90 (PB).
400 – 1, Alexander Rhodes (Puget Sound) 46.51; 12, Joseph Bailey (Stanford) 50.02; 13, Gabriel Ajaegbu (Stanford) 50.13.
1,000 – 1, Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly) 2:19.68; 2, Zane Bergen (Stanford) 2:20.87 (PB; School Record).
3,000 – 1, Thomas Boyden (Stanford) 7:41.85 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT); 2, Cole Sprout (Stanford) 7:45.24; 7, Leo Young (Stanford) 7:54.98; 10, Lex Young (Stanford) 7:57.78; 11, Nolan Topper (Stanford) 7:58.28 (PB); 12, Patrick Koon (Stanford) 7:58.42; 23, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 8:07.51; 29, James Dargan (Stanford) 8:15.64; 31, Caleb Boutelle (Stanford) 8:17.52.
Long jump – 1, Prestin Artis (Washington) 24-11 (7.59m); 6, Xavier Drumgoole (Stanford) 22-7 (6.88m); 8, John Kroeger (Stanford) 22-1 ½ (6.74m).
Triple jump – 1, Trevontay Smith (Washington) 49-10 (15.19); 2, Kevin Yang (Stanford) 49-5 ½ (15.07).
Shot put – 1, Noah Turner (Western Washington) 51-7 ¼ (15.73m); 10, Garin Gross (Stanford) 43-4 ¼ (13.21m).
Weight throw – 1, Rory Devaney (Cal Poly) 69-7 (21.21m); 2, Anthony Argyropoulos (Stanford) 66-5 (20.24m) (PB; No. 6 Stanford AT); 3, Max McKhann (unat.) 63-2 ¼ (19.26m); 6, Mason McKhann (Stanford) 55-10 ½ (17.03m).
Women
60 – Final: 1, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 7.37 (PB; No. 6 Stanford AT); 5, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 7.53. Prelims: 2, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 7.51 (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT); 3, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 7.52 (PB).
200 – Caitlyn Cheney (Western Washington) 24.90; 13, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 25.73; 19, Madison Romain (Stanford) 26.12; 23, Sara Rivas (Stanford) 26.36; 26, Sevilla Duran (Stanford) 26.46.
400 – 1, Bec Bennett (Western Washington) 54.40; 6, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 57.70; 8, Sevilla Duran (Stanford) 58.13 (PB); Madison Roman (Stanford) DQ.
600 – 1, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 1:25.74 (PB; Meet record; Facility Record; School Record); 5, Cate Peters (Stanford) 1:31.52 (PB; No. 5 Stanford AT).
800 – 1, Claire Yerby (Washington) 2:06.45; 2, Amelia Everett (Stanford) 2:07.95; 8, Hillary Studdert (Stanford) 2:10.72.
3,000 – 1, Melissa Tanaka (unat.) 9:05.28; 9, Audrey Suarez (Stanford) 9:20.81; 10, Riley Stewart (Stanford) 9:21.29; 20, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 9:29.56; 25, Nicola Hogg (Stanford) 9:38.35.
60 hurdles – Final: 1, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 8.38. Prelims: 1, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 8.46; 9, Sara Rivas (Stanford) 9.12.
Pole vault – 1, Helen Hoadley (Hawai’i) 13-1 ¾ (4.01m); 6, Sky Schuller (Stanford) 12-2 (3.71m); 9, Lianne Kistler (Stanford) 11-8 (3.56m).
Long jump – 1, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 19-3 ½ (5.88m); 7, Alaysia Oakes (18-3 ¾, 5.58m); 8, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 18-0 ¼ (5.49m).
Shot put – 1, Kaia Tupu-South (Washington) 55-8 ¼ (16.97m); 4, Kaiah Fisher (Stanford) 45-5 ¾ (13.86m).
Stanford’s Schedule
(Heats slow to fast)
Saturday
Noon: Women’s 1-mile Invite: S2: Hillary Studdert; S3: Amelia Everett; S4: Nicola Hogg, Riley Stewart; S5: Sophia Kennedy, Juliette Whittaker.
12:30 p.m.: Men’s 1-mile Invite: S3: Zane Bergen, James Dargan, Lex Young; S4: Thomas Boyden, Cole Sprout, Leo Young.