Zaya Akins adds to Raytown South legacy with three more state titles

Akins will head to University of Kentucky with eight individual titles

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Zaya Akins arrived at the 2023 Missouri Track and Field Championships with her legacy at Raytown South High School already well established.

Then the Cardinals’ senior added to it in impressive fashion.

Akins entered her final high school meet with five individual state championships on her resume and then added three more with victories in the Class 5 100-meter dash, 200 and 400.

“Right now I’m just happy that it’s over,” Akins said after stepping off the podium at Adkins Stadium for the final time. It’s been really stressful and it’s really been, like, yeah I’ve just really stressed, nervous. I’m glad it’s over. Three-time state champ. That’s what we came here to do, so I’m happy with it.”

Akins, who will continue her career at the University of Kentucky, not only won the 400-meter dash for the third time in three tries, she also broke the Class 5 championships record twice in her two races on Friday and Saturday.

She ran a 54.74 in the prelims – topping the previous Class 5 record of 54.87 set by Courtney Williams of Nerinx Hall in 2019 – and then ran a blazing 53.08 in the final.

Akins established the Class 4 400 record and championship meet record a year ago when she ran a 53.41. So now he owns the Class 4 and Class 5 meet records as well as the overall mark.

The Raytown South standout sprinter certainly made the most of her final meet and added to her collection of individual medals.

Akins didn’t get to compete at state as a freshman in 2020 because of COVID, but she won the Class 4 100, 200 and 400 as a sophomore and the Class 4 100 and 400 as a junior before her hat trick of first-place finishes as a senior.

She also got a little bit nostalgic during the past few days.

“It didn’t hit me til (Friday) when I was packing my stuff up and I’m looking in the mirror like, dang, I’m not wearing this uniform anymore,” Akins said. “It’s surreal to me. I’ve been there for the past four years – only competed for the past three years because of COVID – but it’s been exciting. I love Raytown South. I’m sure I’ll be back visiting sometime soon.”

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Photo gallery: Missouri Class 3-5 boys track and field championships (Saturday)

Photo gallery: Missouri Class 3-5 girls track and field championships (Saturday)

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Photo gallery: Missouri Class 3-5 boys track and field championships (Friday)

Photo gallery: Missouri Class 3-5 girls track and field championships (Friday)

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