Kentucky junior Masai Russell, an NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor All-American for the Wildcats and one of the most decorated student-athletes to compete at Bullis School in Maryland, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her breakthrough performances in the 100-meter hurdles at the Southeastern Conference Championships, along with her third-place finish in the 400 hurdles in College Station, Texas. Russell reflects on eclipsing the 13-second barrier in the 100 hurdles both prelims and finals, clocking a wind-legal 12.99 and a wind-aided 12.93 in the former, as well as running under 57 seconds for the third time in her career in the 400 hurdles by producing a 56.75 effort in the finals. She also examines being one of only three female athletes in the world this year, along with USC graduate student-athlete Anna Cockrell and LSU junior Milan Young, to have run under 13 seconds in the 100 hurdles and sub-57 in the 400 hurdles. Russell revisits her ambition entering college of being an All-American hurdler in both events, and being one of only three female athletes in American history to have qualified for the Pan American Under-20 Championships in the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles, along with Tonya Williams in 1993 and Queen Claye in 2007. She also reminisces about securing medals for the U.S. in the 400 hurdles at both the 2017 and 2019 Pan Am U-20 Championships, including her runner-up finish two years ago in Costa Rica, running a lifetime-best 56.29. Russell analyzes the necessary improvements she needs to make in order to qualify for the Olympic Trials in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., with the standards at 12.84 in the 100 hurdles and 56.50 in the 400 hurdles. She explains the challenges of competing at the Division 1 East Regional in Florida, and how it can be the most demanding meet of the year, along with her motivation to advance to the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field and earn her first individual All-America recognition after being a member of the 4x400 relay that earned accolades in 2019 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, and again in March at the Division 1 indoor final in Fayetteville, Ark. Russell also speaks about being a faith-based athlete and how much strength that has provided her during the pandemic, as well as the potential return to the Kentucky lineup of reigning indoor 200-meter champion Abby Steiner at the regional meet and how much that will bolster the Wildcats' 4x400 relay, along with her own You Tube site and all the videos she films and edits documenting her career.