Anass Essayi

Career Honors and Recognition
2x Outdoor First Team All-American (2024, 2023)
2x Indoor All-American (2024, 2023)
3x Indoor First Team All-SEC (2024, 2023, 2022)
2024 Outdoor Second Team All-SEC
2023 Outdoor First Team All-SEC
2024 CSC Academic All-District
2024 Spring SEC Honor Roll
2023 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll

Season and Career Results
2024
Indoor
Appeared in four meets on the season, running the mile, 3K and one DMR race … Opened the season on Jan. 26 with a new program record in the 3K after running 7:39.11 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic to finish third … Finished runner-up in the mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invite (3:51.91) and at the SEC Indoor Championship (4:00.76) … Earned First Team All-SEC for the third consecutive year at the SEC Indoor Championship after running the anchor leg of the DMR team that clocked a program record time of 9:34.50 for the program’s first ever SEC Indoor DMR title … Finished 10^th at the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 3K, running 7:54.67 to earn Second Team All-American honors.

Outdoor
Competed in five meets during his final season with the Gamecocks, running the 800m, 1500m and the 5K … Earned First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championship after finishing eighth in the 1500m with a time of 3:40.81 … Earned his way to the NCAA Outdoor Championship after finishing runner-up in the 1500m at the NCAA East Regional, clocking 3:38.55 in the quarterfinal round … Earned Second Team All-SEC, finishing runner-up in both the 800m (1:46.06) and the 5K (13:34.92) … His time in the 800m set a new personal best and ranks second all-time in program history, while his 5K time also marked a new PR and set a new Gamecock Outdoor record … Opened his season at the Tom Jones Invitational 800m race, running 1:47.28 to finish fifth … The following week he placed second in the Wake Forest Invitational 1500m event, clocking a season-best time of 3:38.25.

2023

Indoor

Appeared in four indoor meets but made his presence felt, winning his second consecutive SEC Mile championship and earning a spot on the First Team All-American squad … Began his season at the Columbia Challenge in the 3K, setting a program record and personal best with a time of 7:41.93 to place first … Turned his attention to the Mile where he set a program record in his first race at the David Hemery Invite in Boston, finishing second with a time of 3:50.46 … Was named SEC Male Runner of the Week following his performance in Boston … On March 2, he was named to the Mid-Season Bowerman Watch List … Won the SEC Championship in the Mile for the second consecutive season, running 4:01.20, earning a spot on the All-SEC First Team … Also placed third at the SEC Championship in the 3K when he ran 7:53.73 … Advanced to the NCAA Championship in Albuquerque, finishing third overall in the Mile when he stopped the clock at 4:03.61 to etch his name to the First Team All-American squad.

Outdoor

Competed in just four events on the season, including three postseason meets, all running the 1500m … Opened his season with a personal best and program record in the 1500m at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California, running 3:36.89 to finish seventh overall with the fastest 1500m race in Gamecock history … One month later he ran his second race of the outdoor season, winning the 1500m SEC Championship with a time of 3:41.52 to earn First Team All-SEC honors … Qualified for the NCAA Championship after running 3:53.83 at the NCAA Regional in Jacksonville … Earned First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championship when he finished fourth overall after running 3:43.31.

2022

Indoor

Made his Gamecock debut at the SEC Indoor Championships and threw down two of the best performances in South Carolina history in the Mile … Ran a then-school record time of 4:01.46 in the prelims to qualify for the SEC final … Won the SEC Mile title in an SEC Indoor Championships meet record of 3:57.37 … Became South Carolina’s first ever sub-4-minute Miler … Earned All-SEC honors for his title.

Outdoor

Continued his dominating freshman campaign, winning every race he competed in … Kicked off his outdoor season with a victory in the 1,500-meter with a time of 3:40.14 at the Florida Relays … Set a program record in the next meet in the 1,500m with a time of 3:39.03 to earn SEC Runner of the Week … Ran his only 800m at the UofSC Open on April 23, winning with a personal-best mark of 1:47.70 … Finished first in the NCAA East Regional in the 1,500m with a mark of 3:41.81 to qualify for the NCAA Championship … Had to withdraw from the NCAA Championship following an injury he sustained while competing in the finale.

Personal Records
Indoor

Outdoor