Stanford runner Roisin Willis signs NIL deal with New Balance

Stanford rising sophomore and NCAA indoor track champion Roisin Willis signed an NIL deal with New Balance. She announced the partnership on Instagram on Monday.

“Grateful for this opportunity and to be a part of the NB family,” Willis wrote in the caption.

Willis wore New Balance gear in the carousel of photos she posted as part of the announcement.

At the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque in March, Willis won the women’s 800 meters with a facility record and meet record time of 1:59.93. She bested her teammate Juliette Whittaker by 0.12 seconds.

Willis also helped Stanford win the women’s distance medley relay with a time of 10:56.34. The Cardinal defeated Arkansas by 0.27 seconds.

There’s alignment in the NIL partnership, given New Balance’s relationships and sponsorships within track and field and cross country. For example, Willis previously posted a photo of her at New Balance Nationals Indoor in March 2022, where she wore a New Balance shirt.

Even before enrolling at Stanford, Willis established herself as one of the fastest runners in the country and internationally.

As a high school senior at Stevens Point Area Senior High School in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Willis set the national high school indoor 800-meter record with a time of 2:00.06 in February 2022. She also won the 800 at the World Under-20 Championships in Colombia with a time of 1:59.13.

Willis ran the final leg of the U.S.’s first-place 4×400 relay at the World Under-20 Championships.

In 2022, Willis was named the 2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. She also won Gatorade’s state-specific honor in Wisconsin four times.

Roisin Willis committed to Stanford in October 2021

MileSplit ranked Willis as the No. 4 recruit nationally in the 2022 recruiting class, according to Stanford.

Willis announced her commitment to Stanford on Instagram in October 2021.

“SO excited to finally announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Stanford University!” she wrote in her caption. “To my teammates, coaches, and friends at SPASH, thank you for making practice the best part of my day, I can’t wait to make some more memories with y’all this spring. Lastly, thank you to Coach [J.J.] Clark for this incredible opportunity, I could not be more thrilled to join such an amazing program next fall! GO CARD!”

Her mother Breeda Willis competed in the 5000 meters and 10000 meters for Ireland at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics.