A key figure in the girls middle-distance field will be fast-twitch Roisin Willis
In case you forgot the name Roisin Willis, let's take a quick refresher course.
The prodigy from Stevens Point, Wisconsin has been very good -- so good, in fact, that she has been producing national-level numbers for public interest consumption since the seventh grade, clocking overall personal record times of 4:49.63 (full mile), 2:03.05i (800m), and 54.23 (400m) efforts.
The global pandemic reduced Willis' sophomore opportunities to exploit the completion during the 2020 outdoor campaign. However, let us not forget what happened during the peak of the 2019 indoor season when she upset a red hot American 600m record holder Athing Mu at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in the 800m.
It was then that another star was born.
* Willis' led off the world junior record-holding 4x800 at the VA Showcase
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Willis' last two performances have been nothing short of breathtaking. In late January, she finished third in a stacked 800m field at The VA Showcase, finishing with a US No. 3 time of 2:04.31. Then, on Jan. 30, she followed at The 757 Showdown, putting down one of the world's top 600m marks in 1:27.20, a time that now stands fifth-all-time in high school history.
On February 20, Willis will make her second return to Illinois soil (first indoor) to compete in the 1,000m inside the beautiful Gately Indoor Track & Field Stadium for the CYUP Misfits Invitational.
The overall goal, we have been told, will be the magnificent Sammy Watson's national record of 2:40.72, which she accomplished back in 2017.
In that race, Watson was paced by a set of professional runners and hit the 800m in 2:08. Willis has the raw talent to match those setup splits -- because she is an aggressive front runner. But also the key here will be closing out on the final circuit.
Hopefully, we will be able to witness history on Saturday afternoon.