Roisin Willis is seriously making waves as one of the most exciting young middle-distance runners out there. Back in February 2022, she totally shattered the U.S. high school indoor 800m record, clocking in at 2:00.06 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, she also ran a blazing 51.34 split in the 4x400m relay to help Team USA grab another gold.

These achievements underscore Willis’s exceptional talent and dedication. And it’s all thanks to her determination and most importantly her coach, JJ Clark, who has been coaching her, she has joined Stanford University. It was Clark’s influence that Willis joined Stanford University and he is an expert in middle-distance running. Let’s talk aout the details about Roisin Willis’ coach and his achievements.

Meet J.J. Clark: Roisin Willis’ coach

J.J. Clark, former director of track and field at Tennessee University, has been coaching track athletes since 1992. After graduating from Columbia High School, he was influenced by his elder sister to trail in the track and field world.

But could you ever imagine a track and field star having anatomy and physiology? Yep, you read it correctly. J.J. Clark studied the coursework at the University of Florida. And it wasn’t enough; Clark also took courses in nutrition and exercise physiology from Kenaan College in Union, New Jersey. From 2001 until 2014, he served at the University of Tennessee for the longest period of time.

J.J. Clark led the women’s team to the NCAA indoor women’s championships in 2005 and 2009, among other achievements. And that’s how his journey to being a massage therapist started, as he was certified in it. Let’s dive deep into Roisin Willis’ coaching career achievements.

J.J. Clark’s career highlights and achievements

J.J. Clark’s coaching career journey started as an assistant track coach at his alma mater, and during his period from 1986 to 1989, he trained middle-distance and sprinter athletes—both boys and girls. But his transition to collegiate coaching happened in 1991; since then, he never looked back. Joined different universities and coached a lot of athletes, including Roisin Willis’– currently at Stanford University.

“As soon as head coach (J.J.) Clark called me and called my dad, it was immediately one of my top schools, just because of the success in the 800 meters he’s had and the well-rounded team Stanford has right now,” Roisin Willis said. Since joining Stanford in 2018, Clark has won two Pac-12 Cross Country Coach of the Year titles and seven USTFCCCA West Region Coach of the Year trophies.

The renowned coach has won two USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year awards for his impact and the outcomes he has produced for his squad. In addition, he has been named Conference Coach of the Year ten times and Regional Coach of the Year thirteen times. With 377 All-American awards to his name and counting, J.J. Clark has trained at least 109 distinct All-Americans during his coaching career, which also includes nearly ten years at Florida. He served as the assistant track and field coach and women’s cross-country coach at Florida, where he developed his skills over the course of his career. However, he was selected as the 1998 USA Elite Coach of the Year for his efforts.

“He knows a lot about the 800”: Roisin Willis on her trust in J.J. Clark

“My future track coach is extremely knowledgeable and he knows a lot about the 800,” Willis told WSAW-TV back in 2022. World U20 Championship gold medalist, Willis, who races 800m, among other categories, had full faith in Clark’s coaching, as she put it, “That would be really good for me because I have a lot of big goals at college and he’s definitely on the same page like that.” Recently, on March 15, Willis secured third place in the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships at Virginia Beach Sports Center. She finished the 800m short track in 2:01.00. And this is just one example of her resilience on track at the 800m race.

Who else has J.J. Clark coached besides J.J. Clark?

When a coach trains athletes, it’s not only one but a whole team. With an extensive coaching career, Clark mentored middle- and short-distance athletes, including Roisin Willis. But, there is a long list of mentees who got training from Clark, including Juliette Whittaker. One of them is Joetta Clark Diggs, and she is none other than J.J. Clark’s sister. Joetta is a four-time Olympian and five-time U.S. outdoor champion in 800 m. Who else?

J.J. Clark coaches his other sister, Hazel Clark; she is also an Olympian—3 times—and represented the U.S. in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Games. And if that wasn’t enough, it seems like the Clark family is ruling the track. Why, you may ask. Well, Joe Louis Clark coaches his wife, Jearl Miles-Clark, as well. Jearl’s achievement—specializing in 400 and 800m; she is a four-time Olympian and had set an American record of 1:56.40, which stood for a long 20 years.

J.J. Clark also coached 800 m specialist Chanelle Price, who won the World Indoor Championship in 2014. With all of these achievements personally and of his mentees, Joe Louis Clark is influencing track athletes to do more.