Stevens Point Star Surprised By Mom With Gatorade National Award Trophy

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

It was fitting for Breda Dennehy-Willis to present her daughter with the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year for 2020-21.

Roisin Willis’ mom was a professional distance runner and Olympian. She competed in the 5,000 meters for Ireland in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney and was active on the roads and in track for more than two decades.

Flash forward to July 2021, and Willis, who is fresh off competing in the women’s 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials less than a month ago, is on a similar trajectory. 

Willis, a rising senior from Stevens Points, Wis., was in the middle of doing an interview with local media Tuesday when she could sense someone coming up from behind her. 

“I turn left and I see my mom holding the big trophy,” Willis said. “My jaw just dropped and I was so shocked to see that award with my name on it. I was so honored.”

PRESENTATION VIDEO

Willis, who finished the 2021 outdoor track season as the top high school runner in the 800 meters (2:00.78), US#2 in the 400 (52.64) and US#5 in the 1,600 (4:41.46), explained having her mom guide her in the sport has been invaluable in her journey. 

“She’s definitely been a big supporter and she’s helped me so much this season,” Willis said. “She’s been there when times are really tough, and then also so proud of me when things go well. (She’s) definitely helped when I've had those mental blocks this season. To see her holding the award, it means so much.”

Willis is the first track and field athlete from the state of Wisconsin to win the award and third athlete overall in any sport. Hailing from Stevens Point, a town known for its love of running and two U.S. distance running legends – Suzy Favor Hamilton and Chris Solinsky – Willis explained she’s honored to represent the community. 

“Stevens Point definitely values running, so to come from a town that cares about running a lot, it means a lot,” she said. 

Willis’ season, highlighted by a trip to Eugene, Ore. in June to compete in Olympic Trials in the women’s 800 meterd, has been one of perseverance. Her overarching goal of reaching the 2:02.50 qualifying standard didn’t come easy. She had several attempts throughout 2021, including trips to Virginia, Texas and Chicago. It took until the end of May at the Trials of Miles New York City Qualifier to secure a bid for the Olympic Trials. She experienced a breakthrough race, winning her section in a lifetime best 2:00.78 and set the national age 16 record and elevated to the No. 4 all-time prep competitor. 

“This season was historic because I had incredible races, but I also had races that definitely weren’t what I wanted,” Willis said. “And so I definitely experienced every probable emotion I could; frustration, sadness, just pure gratitude. It’s crazy to see how far I've come since January. I just kept showing up, and I think that's why I improved, I kept putting myself out there. I persevered through some bad days (and) I’m really grateful to leave this year with so many PRs.” 

Willis’ start to the 2021 track season was a sign of historic things to come. In January, at the Virginia Beach Showcase, she teamed up with fellow prep standouts Bailey Goggans, Juliette Whittaker and Sophia Gorriaran to form an elite relay team that set a World Under-20 4x800-meter relay record, clocking 8:37.20. She finished the outdoor season in Seattle at the Brooks PR Invitational, finishing second in the 400 with a personal-best time of 52.64.

“Starting the year off with the 4x800, that experience with those girls was really great,” she said. “We bonded with friendship (and) to have them (their support) throughout the whole year, that's why I succeeded.”

Off the track, Willis holds a 4.0 GPA, is a National Honor Society member and an accomplished violin player. According to the Gatorade Press Release, she performed holiday music via Zoom for area assisted living centers during the Pandemic and participated in a practice-a-thon fundraiser to raise scholarship dollars for fellow music students, among other charitable activities.

“I do work hard in school and I spend probably more hours on that than I do on running most days,” she said. “I care about running so much, I care about it so much that I need to step aside from it some hours of the day. There's only so much I can do. I run for two minutes, it's not rocket-science. But I definitely like having other things in my life that are completely different from running.”

Willis follows fellow endurance athletes Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek High in Ohio (2020) and Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland High in New York (2018) as recent Gatorade national girls track and field recipients.

“To see how my times have dropped, that's really all I wanted was to improve,” Willis said of this season. “To see all that improvement, I'm really grateful that things panned out how I really hoped. I think I'm in a really good place heading into my senior season.”