Men's Track & Field
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UK Athletics
Masai Russell - Men's Track & Field - University of Kentucky Athletics

MasaiRussell

  • title Volunteer Assistant Coach
BIO

https://www.tfrrs.org/athletes/6995394/Kentucky/Masai_Russell.html 

Academic Accolades 

  • SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll – 2020, 2021, 2022 

Career Accolades 

  • 2024 USATF Olympic Team Trials Champion – 100mH
  • 2023 The Bowerman Semifinalist
  • 2023 Outdoor USTFCCCA First-Team All-America – 100H, 400H, 4×100 Relay, 4×400 Relay
  • 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships Silver Medalist – 100H, 400H, 4×100 Relay
  • 2023 Outdoor Second-Team All-SEC
  • 2023 SEC Outdoor Championship Silver Medalist – 400m
  • 2023 SEC Outdoor Championship Bronze Medalist – 100H
  • SEC Women’s Runner of the Week – April 25
  • SEC Women’s Runner of the Week – April 3
  • USTFCCCA Athlete of the Week – April 3
  • 2023 Indoor USTFCCCA First-Team All-America – 4×400 relay
  • 2023 Indoor USTFCCCA First-Team All-America – 60H
  • 2023 Indoor NCAA 60H Runner-Up
  • 2023 Indoor SEC 60H Champion
  • NCAA Indoor Championship 60H Runner-Up (2022) 
  • NCAA Outdoor Championships 4x100m silver, 100H bronze and 400H fourth (2022) 
  • SEC 60H, 100H, 400H bronze (2022) 
  • SEC Indoor 4x400m silver medalist, 400H bronze (2021) 
  • First team All-American in 100H (2021, 2022), 400H (2021, 2022) and 4x400m (2019, 2021), 4x100m (2022) 
  • 11-time All-American 
  • 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships 400H finalist 

2022-23 (Graduate)

Outdoor

  • Won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.66 at the UCF Black & Gold Invite
  • Member of 4×100 meter relay that placed 2nd with a time of 42.81 and moved to 5th on the UK all-time performers list at the Texas Relays
  • Set the 100H collegiate record with a time of 12.36 at the Texas Relays
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that placed 8th with a time of 3:36.63 at the Texas Relays
  • Member of 4x100m relay team that won with a time of 43.12 at the Tom Jones Memorial
  • Placed 3rd in the 400H with a time of 55.39 at the Tom Jones Memorial
  • Member of 4×100 relay team that won with a time of 43:38 at the Michael Johnson Invitational
  • Won with a stadium record time of 12.50 (1.1) in the 100-meter hurdles at the Michael Johnson Invitational
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that won with a season best time of 3:28.21 that ranks at No. 5 on the UK all-time performers list
  • Won the 200 meters with a personal best time of 23.26 at the Jim Green Invitational
  • Earned bronze in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.47 (0.4) at the SEC Outdoor Championships
  • Earned silver in the 400m with a personal best time of 55.21 and improved the number four mark on the UK all-time performers list
  • Qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100H, 400H, 4×100 Relay and 4×400 Relay
  • Placed 2nd in the 100H (12.32), 400H (54.66 PR) and 4×100 Relay (42.46) at the NCAA Championships
  • Placed 6th in the 4×400 Relay with a season best time of 3:27.47 at the NCAA Championships

Indoor

  • Scored and placed 2nd in 60H at the NCAA Indoor Championships tying her PR of 7.75
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that scored and placed 5th at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 3:29.08
  • Won 60H gold at SEC Indoor Championships
  • Named to the women’s mid-indoor edition of The Bowerman Watch List by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
  • Set a 60H collegiate record at the Red Raider Open in Lubbock, Texas with a time of 7.75 seconds.
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that won the Commonwealth College Opener with a time of 3:40.05.
  • Won 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.11 and set a career best time of 23.51 in the 200 meters at the Commonwealth College Opener.
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that placed 3rd with a time of 3:36.36 at the Rod McCravy Memorial.
  • Won 60 meter hurdles with a time of 7.88 at the Rod McCravy Memorial.
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that placed 4th with a time of 3:38.37 at the TTU Red Raider Open.
  • Member of 4×400 relay team that placed 2nd with a time of 3:29.40 at the Tiger Paw Invite.
  • Won 60 meter hurdles with a time of 7.94 at the Tiger Paw Invite.

2021-22 (Senior) 

Outdoor 

  • Earned bronze in the 100H (12.81) and fourth in the 400H (55.83) at NCAA Championships, ran in the silver medal 4x100m 
  • Qualified for NCAA Championships with a personal best in the 400H, running the second fastest time of NCAA East Prelims, and 12.89 in the 100H for the third fastest time 
  • Ran for bronze in both the 100H (12.78w) and 400H (55.44) at SEC Championships 
  • Ran 100H facility record and personal best at Kentucky Invitational (12.71) 
  • Won Drake Relays 400H (56.27) 
  • Earned a personal best with her 100H win (12.75) at the Joe May Invitational, ranking third all-time for UK 
  • Ran for a personal best in the 400H (55.41), beating her previous personal best from her 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships fourth place finish (56.18) and placed second in the 100H (13.18) at the Florida Relays 
  • Earned a personal best in the 100m (11.54) and won the 400H at the Black and Gold Invite 

Indoor 

  • Earned silver in the 60H (7.95) at NCAA Indoor Championships, her highest ever individual NCAA finish of her career 
  • Qualified for NCAA Championships in the 60H and 4x400m  
  • Earned bronze in the 60H (7.95) at SEC Championships 
  • Ran for a personal best 7.93 in the 60H at the Tiger Paw Invitational for the No. 2 spot on the all-time list in the 60H 
  • Won the 60m hurdles (8.16), finished second in the 200m (23.93) and was a part of the winning 4x400m relay team at the Cardinal Classic 
  • Placed second in the 60H with a new personal best (8.01), ran a personal best and finished second in the 200m (23.60) and earned a personal best in the 60m in prelims (7.46) 
  • Tied her personal best in the 60H (8.01) with a second-place finish in the event, ran the first leg in the then-school record 4x400m relay (3:28.62) 

2020-21 (Junior)
Indoor 

  • First-team All-America in the 4x400m relay as UK finished fifth at the NCAA Championships 
  • Second-team All-America in the 60m hurdles with a 15th-place finish 
  • Scored points at the SEC Championships in the 60m hurdles, finishing fourth with a time of 8.12 seconds; also part of the fifth-place distance medley relay 
  • Silver medalist at the SECs in the 4×400 relay, part of a school-record run of 3:28.82; received second-team All-SEC laurels for that effort 
  • Personal-best 8.10 seconds in the 60 hurdles, coming at the Tiger Paw Invitational, is No. 3 in school history. 

 Outdoor 

  • Competed in U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 100H, finishing 19th (13.09). Placed 12th in the 400H semifinals with a time of 58.00 
  • Finished 4th in the 400m hurdles with a personal best time of 56.18, ranked 5th for UK all-time, earning another first team All-America honors 
  • Placed sixth in the 100m hurdles at NCAA Championships (12.97), earning first team All-American 
  • Advanced to the NCAA Championships in both the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles 
  • Turned in a personal-best 12.90 seconds in the 100 hurdles, tying for No. 3 in school history 
  • Bronze medalist in the 400 hurdles at the SEC Championships, with a personal-best time of 56.75 seconds that is No. 5 on the all-time UK list; received second-team All-SEC accolades 
  • Also contributed points at the SEC Championships with sixth-place finishes in the 100 hurdles and the 4×400 relay 
  • Picked up a win during the spring in the 400m at the Kentucky Invitational 

2019-20 (Sophomore) 

  • 2020 NCAA Indoor All-American (60m Hurdles) 
  • Personal-best 60m hurdles time of 8.11 at the Tiger Paw Invitational 
  • No. 14 time in the NCAA in the 60m hurdles (8.11) 

2018-19 (Freshman)
Indoor 

  • First Team All-America in the 4x400m relay running alongside Faith Ross, Chloe Abbott and Abby Steiner to place eighth in the NCAA final 
  • SEC scorer in the 60m hurdles (seventh) and 4x400m relay (sixth) 
  • Broke Jasmine Camacho-Quinn’s UK freshman 60h record at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb. 8 (8.18) 
  • NCAA qualifier in the 4x400m relay and ran on the No. 6 all-time UK 4×4 (3:32.15) 

Prior to UK 

  • Top-ranked 300m hurdler all four years in high school 
  • Eight-time National Champion (sprint relays and shuttle hurdle) 
  • Two-time National record holder (4×2, shuttle hurdle) 
  • Bronze medalist at the 2018 Pan American Junior Games in 400m hurdles 
  • Runner up at USATF Junior Championships in the 400m hurdles 
  • Gatorade Athlete of the Year – Maryland 2018 
  • Ocean breeze 400 meet record champion (sophomore and junior year) 
  • Three-time All-Metropolitan Area from sophomore to senior seasons 
  • All-Met Athlete of the Year (2018) 
  • Maryland No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 in the 55H in 2018 
  • Maryland No. 1 U.S. No. 7 in 60mH of 2018 
  • Maryland No. 1 in the 300 and 500 oh sophomore year 
  • U.S. No. 5 in 500m 

 Personal 

  • Pronunciation: Mas-eye 
  • Birthday: June 17  
  • Parents: Sharon and Mark Russell 
  • Siblings: older; Philip and Devine, younger: Zion and Solai 
  • Major: Health science  
  • Notes: volunteered at wider circle every Saturday for a three-month stretch in high school 
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