Despite Stanford being Nike-sponsored program, Willis will still wear university kit during collegiate schedule, but promote New Balance outside of Division 1 season after she is brand’s first NCAA female track athlete to ink NIL deal

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Roisin Willis’ legacy as one of the top middle-distance runners started at a New Balance national meet.

As a ninth-grader, Willis shocked the track and field world, beating Athing Mu for the 2019 New Balance Nationals Indoor 800-meter title.

As a high school senior in Stevens Point, Wis., Willis teamed with three New Balance professional athletes to run the world’s fastest indoor distance medley relay at the new TRACK at New Balance facility in Boston.

This week, Willis signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal with New Balance, becoming the first collegiate female track and field athlete to sign with the company.

“I’ve been running at their high school meets for years, obviously was part of that NB relay last year, which was a really exciting opportunity for me, and overall, I see them as a very supportive brand and a huge fan of their big athletes,” Willis said. “I’ve always worn their shoes, which is nice to be back in NB after running in Nike for a while. Everything they stand for, they are a very supportive company, is what I want to be a part of.”

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In this Thursday’s opening round of the women’s 800 at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Willis – a rising sophomore at Stanford University – will represent New Balance.

While Stanford is a Nike-sponsored school, Willis confirmed she’ll still wear Stanford during collegiate season and she is not turning professional.

“NIL is kind of a way for college athletes to make money and I think my deal looks a little different from others out there since New Balance is not the same brand as my university,” Willis explained. “I’ll be doing Instagram, like promotions for New Balance there, obviously wearing Stanford throughout the collegiate season, but races outside of my collegiate ones I’ll be wearing my New Balance jersey, which is really exciting.”

Willis explained this partnership has been in the works for a couple of months as she’s worked with agent Ray Flynn, who recently helped Oregon prep sprinter Mia Brahe-Pedersen from Lake Oswego High sign an NIL deal with Nike.

North Carolina State’s Katelyn Tuohy was the first collegiate female track athlete to sign an NIL deal with adidas. Florida distance competitor Parker Valby was the first collegiate track standout to agree to an NIL deal with Nike.

“Post-NCAA Indoor, I started working with an agent, and looking for deals, and New Balance was the first brand that I really wanted to work with and they were interested as well,” Willis said. “I didn’t want NIL to be an added stress, it’s something that is supposed to be fun, about building relationships with companies.”

Willis, who won the NCAA indoor 800 (1:59.93) and DMR titles (10:56.34) as a freshman March 10-11 in Albuquerque, N.M., recently went public with her mental health struggles she’s faced during her first year as a college student-athlete.

Posting on her personal Instagram account in June, she wrote about her battle with depression garnering over 11,000 “hearts” and more than 400 public comments. She explained finding that balance of taking care of herself and being a voice for others publicly is one she wants to navigate in the best way possible.

“You know, I’ve wondered what the next step forward is and how public I want to be with my mental health,” Willis said. “And I’m still working through things privately, so I still want to keep some things to myself while also helping others. I didn’t realize that this post would have such an effect on those following me. I don’t know what the next step is, but focusing on competing this weekend is my goal and then some time off will be good for me.

“Obviously if social media can be a tool to help others I want to take advantage of that, while putting out what I want to put out there. A lot of those stories were hard to hear but I understand them, and I get them. It was reassuring to see that I wasn’t alone but also broke my heart to see a lot of people struggling as well. But I think it made me realize this stuff needs to be talked about more … keeping that mindset that we are all in this together and no one is alone out there.”

Following a fourth-place finish in the 800 final June 10 at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in 2:00.91, while finding help for her personal issues, Willis said she did weigh the possibility of not competing in Oregon this weekend.

“It has been a rough year and I have considered if taking a step back was the right move for me, but honestly I think staying strong, I don’t think running was ever the issue, so I’ve put in so much work this year so, I I want to take advantage of that, and just trying to have more fun with racing.”

This Thursday will mark her first USATF Championships after competing in the U20 national final last summer.

Two years ago, Willis and fellow Stanford teammate Juliette Whittaker, along with Harvard commit Sophia Gorriaran, were the three youngest athletes to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene.

All three competitors will be toeing the line together again this weekend with an opportunity to advance to Sunday’s final round.

“This is a really exciting opportunity to be racing in the pro race,” Willis said. “I’m just going to give it my best shot, and just take it race by race.”