MIAMI (April 18, 2019) - As the 2019 outdoor season begins to reach its peak, it also signals the culmination of the careers of two of the most decorated athletes FIU track & field has seen compete in its program. 
 
Seniors Clarissa Cutliff and Terrisa Russell have rewritten the FIU record book and earned countless honors throughout their careers as Panthers. Cutliff has taken six Conference USA championships in the high jump, as well as four All-American honors following performances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Russell has a C-USA title in the hammer and weight throw, and just set school records in the hammer and discus. 
 
"For where she is right now, based on the work she's put in over the last four years - it lines up for how hard she's been working," said head coach Ryan Herberling. "She's always had special talent and she's really figuring it out now."
 
Russell has already won four events this outdoor season, coming off the victory in the hammer throw at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Her potential this upcoming postseason, both in the discus and hammer, encourages reflection on how far she has come in her FIU career.
 
"When I started FIU, I did not know that I was going to be here, really," said Russell, set to graduate in December. "I was like 150 pounds. I'm nowhere near that now. It was just the dedication and hard work – I set goals for myself. Now I'm here."
 
Herberling credits Russell's work ethic and her progression learning from Coach Chandra Fullwood as keys to her surge the past two seasons.
 
"How dedicated she is to being a first-team All-American in two potential events – she had one of the best meets of her career this past week; she's been terrific for us this season."
 
Cutliff, a senior from Orlando, is currently tied for second in the NCAA high jump rankings. There is no sense of compliancy or content after the number of accolades she has earned the past three and a half years.
 
"I want to be the best," said Cutliff. "I'm never settling. I don't want to be number two. I don't want to be number three. I want to be number one."
 
The top spot on the podium has been a familiar place for Cutliff, both in the regular season and at the conference and regional stage. Despite all the gold medals, Cutliff still feels that familiar rush of adrenaline – trying to maintain the standard of first place at every C-USA final.
 
"I don't want to go down. There's always pressure. I'm never just in there thinking, 'oh I'm gonna go win it.' There's definitely pressure that someone could knock me off."
 
"It's very easy to get yourself off track and lose focus senior year when you've had as much success as she's had," Heberling noted. "She just stays focused on what the goal is. She's putting all of her effort and energy into making sure she goes out on top."
 
Cutliff has already earned a regional qualifying mark – as she aims to finish her career with a trip to the podium at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas.
 
"It's not a surprise when you see what she does on meet day. You see the preparation she does Monday through Friday. Coach Sullivan has done such a great job working with her. Her focus is geared to finishing this season with the top spot."
 
The consistency from Cutliff and Russell has been eye-opening, particularly over the past two years. Podium finishes from the pair have been routine. But their role as teammates, and their presence around the program will perhaps be missing just as much next year, as valuable as the points they've every meet – their legacy already well cemented.
 
"Just to watch them mature from the high school kids that maybe a lot of people overlooked," said Heberling. "Just watching their development over the past four years. They've dealt with so much – they do a very good job making the most out of a situation, working hard, doing the work they have to do. From freshman that maybe backed into successful marks to people that we say – 'hey, we can rely on them.' And that's exciting. Adults ready to take the next step of their life."
 
"You get a little sad about them not being here next year. They've been catalysts for the team doing well."
 
As April rounds into May and the regular season concludes, the perspective of Cutliff and Russell's achievements loom a little larger, the knowledge that this is their last postseason journey with FIU very clear. Russell graduates in December and plans to move to New York while continuing her pursuit of the sport – Cutliff will join the U.S. Army, following in the footsteps of her brother, already in the military. Future plans are laid out and waiting, but that stage is not set just yet. Today, Cutliff places the tape on the surface of the track at Tropical Park, marking the start of her run up to the jump – there are more practice reps to be done. Russell sweats through more throws at the cage on the edge of campus, the humidity heavy already at 10 a.m. – her mentality and success predicated on the perfection of form over the advantage of raw strength.
 
There is more work to be done if one day they will reminisce on that All-American weekend in Austin.



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