All heart, no brakes.
When Stevens Point junior Roisin Willis and Moses Brown sophomore Sophia Gorriaran stepped to the line of The 757 Showdown Invitational 600m on Saturday in Virginia Beach, both were ready for an absolute throwdown.
Seriously.
Gorriaran, who already owns the No. 8 best indoor time in 800m history, finished the race in 1:27.02, which ranks No. 3 in history based on time. The performance is also a sophomore national class record. Willis was second in 1:27.19, which is now No. 5 in history based on time. Gorriaran and Willis, individually, are now the No. 2 and No. 4 fastest athletes at the distance ever.
Former Trenton Track Club star Athing Mu owns the 600m national record in 1:23.57 -- which is also an American U20 record and a junior class best -- which she set in 2019.
But in the early going, it was Willis who kicked the tires and lit the fires, heading out on an absurd early pace that saw her come through the first split in approximately 26-seconds high, well ahead of Under Armour pacer Jasmine Fray.
Eventually, with one lap to go, Sophia Gorriaran latched on, too.
The high schoolers were shoulder-to-shoulder through the final 50 meters. Gorriaran had one last surge in the final meters, while Willis leaned too with all her might. Fray came through the line in third overall in 1:29.48, while Under Armour's Maddie Kopp was fourth in 1:29.63.
Tewksbury Memorial senior Makayla Paige was fifth overall in 1:31.11.
Women's 600m Results
Women 600 Meter Run UA Invitatio Open================================================================ Name Year Team Finals ================================================================ 1 Gorriaran, Sophia Unattached 1:27.02 2 Willis, Roisin Unattached 1:27.20 3 Fray, Jazmine Dtc-Ua 1:29.48 4 Kopp, Maddie Unattached 1:29.63 5 Paige, Makayla Unattached 1:31.11 6 Howell, Michelle Unattached 1:31.21 7 Dorer, Maya Unattached 1:35.44