Kayla Russell

Russell played lead throughout her junior career as a member of the Samantha Crook rink. In 2017, her team with Crook, third Julia Hunter and second Danielle Hubbard won the New Brunswick junior provincial championship, going undefeated to claim the title.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=4593&teamid=105024|title=2017 New Brunswick Papa John's Pizza Provincial Junior Women's Championship|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}} This included defeating the defending champions Team Justine Comeau in the final, who won bronze at the previous Canadian junior championship. At the 2017 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, the team finished tied for fourth place in their pool with a 3–3 record.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/2206/standings/3804|title=2017 Canadian Junior Women's Curling Championships – Pool B|website=Curling Canada|access-date=February 17, 2024}} This forced them to play a tiebreaker against Northern Ontario's Krysta Burns, which they lost 8–5.{{Cite news|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2017/01/25/nova-scotia-n-ontario-win-tiebreakers-at-2017-canadian-junior-championships/|title=Nova Scotia, N. Ontario win tiebreakers at 2017 Canadian Junior Championships|publisher=Curling Canada|date=January 25, 2017|access-date=February 17, 2024}} They finished the event in eleventh place with a 4–5 record. Russell later won a silver medal in the mixed doubles competition.

The following year, Hubbard aged out of juniors and the team added Molli Ward as their new second. At the 2018 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts, their first women's provincial championship, the team finished in fifth with a 2–3 record. They would not return to the Canadian juniors, however, falling to the Justine Comeau rink 6–5 in the semifinal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=5062&teamid=116403&profileid=10375|title=2018 Papa Johns New Brunswick Junior Womens|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}} In her last year of junior eligibility, Samantha Crook aged out and Julia Hunter took over skipping duties for the team. They finished with a 3–3 record at the provincial championship, losing out to Erica Cluff. Team Crook again competed in the 2019 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts where they missed the playoffs, going 2–3.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=5599&teamid=131750&profileid=11536|title=2019 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}

After taking a few years off, Russell joined the Jaclyn Crandall rink at lead with third Kendra Lister and second Molli Ward for the 2022–23 season. The team reached the quarterfinals of the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic where they lost to the Jessica Daigle rink. Entering the 2023 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the second seeds, the team finished 3–3 through the round robin, enough to earn them a spot in the tiebreaker.{{Cite web|url=https://curlingnb.com/scores-results/#!/competitions/8064/standings|title=2023 New Brunswick Scotties & Prelims|website=New Brunswick Curling Association|access-date=February 17, 2024}} There, they were defeated 8–6 by Shaelyn Park.{{youTube|R8xXU-VUwks|Video (full game): 2023 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts – Tiebreaker – Shaelyn Park vs Jaclyn Crandall}}

Melissa Adams joined the team for the 2023–24 season as their new skip, shifting Crandall to third, Lister to lead and Russell to alternate. On tour, the team went undefeated to pick up victories at the New Scotland Brewing Co. Cashspiel and the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic, defeating the Heather Smith rink in both finals.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=8127&teamid=174435|title=2023 New Scotland Brewing Co. Women's Cashspiel|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=8052&teamid=176591|title=2023 Jim Sullivan Curling Classic|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}} At the 2024 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Team Adams won the A qualifier event before losing both the B and C events to Mélodie Forsythe and Sylvie Quillian respectively. In the playoffs, they beat Team Forsythe 8–4 in the semifinal before defeating Team Quillian 7–4 in the provincial final.{{Cite news|url=https://tj.news/new-brunswick/capital-winter-clubs-team-adams-wins-n-b-scotties|title=Capital Winter Club's Team Adams wins N.B. Scotties|publisher=Telegraph Journal|author=Matthew Daigle|date=January 22, 2024|access-date=February 17, 2024}} This earned the team the right to represent New Brunswick at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Russell's first appearance at the national women's championship. There, they finished eighth in Pool B with a 2–6 record, defeating the Northwest Territories' Kerry Galusha and Ontario's Danielle Inglis.{{Cite news|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2024/02/23/its-playoff-time/|title=It's Playoff Time|publisher=Curling Canada|date=February 23, 2024|access-date=February 24, 2024}} Russell got to play in the team's final round robin game against the Yukon's Bayly Scoffin, replacing Lister at lead.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/8765/games/5e759bcb-7c22-4311-85ab-1037d034ce6b|title=2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts – Draw 18 – Yukon (Scoffin) vs New Brunswick (Adams)|website=Curling Canada|access-date=February 24, 2024}}

Russell is employed as a server at Mike's Bar & Grill. She has one daughter.{{Cite news|url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2025/02/2025-Scotties-Tournament-of-Hearts-media-guide-WEB1.pdf|title=2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Media Guide|publisher=Curling Curling|date=February 11, 2025|access-date=February 11, 2025}}

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Category:1998 births

Category:Canadian women curlers

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Canadian sportswomen

Category:People from Miramichi, New Brunswick

Category:Curlers from New Brunswick