It seems like yesterday that Shaun Maswanganyi was making the journey from his homeland in South Africa to begin his track and field career at the University of Houston.
It’s all just gone so fast for the senior.
“It’s been a blur, but I’ve enjoyed the ride so far,” he said. “I just want to finish off my collegiate career with a bang.”
Maswanganyi will have the opportunity to do just that this week. The world-class sprinter has a chance to bring his collegiate career to an end in spectacular fashion. All Maswanganyi has to do is take care of some unfinished business in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x 100-meter relay events during the NCAA Outdoor Men’s Track & Field Championships, which begin June 5the and run through June 8th in Eugene, Ore.
His list of accomplishments and accolades already has him in the conversation as one of the best sprinters to ever compete for the Cougars. This week, Maswanganyi can cement his lane among UH world-class track and field greats Leroy Burrell, the late Cameron Burrell, and his coach, Carl Lewis.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about coming in first place,” Maswanganyi said to the Defender. “We go into these competitions as athletes and we all want to come out on top.
“So, it’s a no-brainer that I want to come out on top.”
SHAUN MASWANGANYI
UH Sprinter
Events: 100 meters, 200 meters, 4 x 100 meter relay (anchor)
Major: Graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree in economics and minor in business administration
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
High School: St. Alaban’s College
Achievements: 12 x NCAA All-American; two-time Olympic semifinalist, 2023 World University Games silver medalist; 2019 African U20 Championships golf medalist; set UH school record in the 100-meter dash during the NCAA Championships.
This marks his fourth straight year competing in the national meet, but this is the year when Maswanganyi seems all set to do the most.
He comes into nationals, which began Wednesday, tied with Minnesota’s Devin Augustine for the best time in the 100 meters (10.02) this season. He is second fastest in the 200 meters (20.10), and the 4 x 100 meters relay team Maswanganyi anchors has posted the fastest time in the nation with a 38.44 clocking in early May at the Big 12 Championships.
“I really, really hope he gets this done. His senior year is set up for him to go out on top,” Lewis said. “He has already been the greatest sprinter that we’ve ever had and this is the school that had Cameron Burrell, Leroy Burrell and myself. He has done a lot more than we have.
“The only thing he hasn’t done is win the individual championship. Everything else he has got the records, he has more medals, scored more points and everything. But he just hasn’t won that individual national championship and that’s the one thing left.”
Completing Mission From Africa
It will be the culmination of a spectacular career that began with a phone call from Lewis and then UH track field coach Leroy Burrell. Lewis immediately saw from watching film the flair, showmanship and gifted speed that Maswanganyi displayed while competing for his boarding school in South Africa.
It’s likely Lewis saw a little of his younger self in Maswanganyi.
“I watched his videos from high school, and I knew he had a little bit of showboat in him,” Lewis said. “And I don’t mean looking at people and things like that. I could tell he knew a lot about how to market himself because how he would do things and he was popular.
“So I thought that would be useful and very, very good for his career.”
A Special Connection with Coach Carl Lewis
It has turned out to be that and more for the young man who from the time he stepped on the track as a freshman he was not just the fastest sprinter on the UH team, but he was among the fastest in the nation.
Along the way, Maswanganyi and Lewis have developed a special relationship that goes beyond the coach-athlete relationship. Lewis motivates him in ways few other coaches have been able to.
To push Maswanganyi some days, all Lewis has to say is, “You don’t want to be great.”
“He knows that is going to fire me up and I’m going to kill that workout,” Maswanganyi said. “He just has ways of motivating me. He knows how to say the right thing to me at the right time to get me going.”
Lewis burst into laughter upon hearing Maswanganyi’s memory of his motivating words.
“Shaun is mature enough to understand, I’m kind of joking but I’m serious at the same time,” Lewis said. “He can handle that and understand where I’m coming from in that regard, and it makes him a lot easier to work with.”
Balancing It All
As a world-class sprinter who has not only competed on a high level for the Cougars the last four years but also competes internationally as a member of the South African Olympic team, Maswanganyi has managed to balance it all while completing his bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in business administration last month.
“Structure, discipline and consistency are very important,” said Maswanganyi, who completed in the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 relay for South Africa during the Olympics in Tokyo a few years ago. “These virtues that are instilled within me at a young age are very important.”
Following the NCAA Championships this week, Maswanganyi will turn his attention to preparing for this summer’s Olympics in Paris, where he will again compete for South Africa in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100 relay events.
“Just being able to qualify for two Olympic Games before I turn 25 is really a privilege and it’s something I’m truly grateful for because many athletes go their whole lives trying to make it to the Olympic Games and for me to be able to qualify and represent my country, I cherish that greatly,” said Maswanganyi, who placed inside of the top 15 in both individual events in Tokyo. “I tell my country every time whenever I speak to the press about it, that it’s a big deal to represent my country and just to wear the green and gold. I’m never just happy to be there. I always want to put it on for my country and shine.”
But for now, his focus is on nationals and putting forth the best possible showing to wrap up his collegiate career. He believes that getting off to a great start in the 4 x 100 relay with Ireon Brown, Louie Hinchcliffe, Cayden Broadnax, and Maswanganyi will carry over to success in his two individual events.
“We know if we do well in the 4 x 100 we are going to carry that over into the 100 and we are going to carry that over into the 200, pole vault and the triple jump,” he said. “So as team setting overall, we understand that the engine is really the sprinters because we set the tone. That’s what I’m most excited for. I know that if we lay down, that everyone else is going to be locked and loaded and ready to meet our goal.”
