Zaya Akins

Career Honors and Recognition
2024 NCAA Indoor Champion (4x400m)
2024 Indoor First Team All-American
2024 Indoor First Team All-SEC

Season and Career Results
2024
Indoor
Appeared in seven indoor meets during her freshman indoor season, running the 200m, 300m, 400m and the 4x400m relay … Was the leadoff leg for the women’s 4x400m relay that won the NCAA Indoor Championship with a time of 3:26.20, earning First Team All-American honors with the program’s first 4x400m national championship since 2019 … Was also the leadoff leg for the relay team at the SEC Indoor Championship, running a program record time of 3:26.05 for the gold medal, the first indoor SEC 4x400m championship since 2009 … Earned First Team All-SEC honors for winning the 4x400m relay … Also ran the 400m at the SEC Championship, finishing 13^th in the preliminary round after running 52.78 … Made her collegiate debut in the 300m event at the Clemson Opener, finishing runner-up with the second fastest time in program history at 36.77 … Finished fourth in her home debut in the 200m when she ran 23.71 … Won back-to-back 4x400m relays at the Clemson Opener and the Gamecock Opener … Had a memorable meet at the Tiger Paw Invite with a new PR in both the 200m and the 400m – running 23.31 in the 200m to rank 10^th all time and then 52.23 in the 400m which ranks ninth all time in program history.

Pre- South Carolina
High School
Earned four track & field letters and two volleyball letters at Raytown South High School in Kansas City, Mo. … Competed in the 100m, 200m and the 400m with the Cardinals … Holds the school record in the 100m (11.32), 200m (23.16) and the 400m (52.83) … Also holds the state record in the Class 4 400m (53.41) and the Class 5 400m (53.08) … Holds high school national records in the Nike Indoor 400m (53.26) and the New Balance Indoor 400m (53.45) … Earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Missouri in both 2022 and 2023 … ESPY Award in 2022 for Missouri Female Athlete of the Year … Named 2022 & 2023 Children’s Mercy Sports Medicine Center Female Performer of the Year … Had a successful run with her club team (Sprinters Elite and Palestine) winning the indoor (2023) and outdoor (2022) NBN 400m championship … Earned Nike Indoor 400m Championship honors and also was an AAU National Champion in both the 100m and the 400m … USA U20 National Runner-Up in the 2022 400m sprint … Finished 13^th in the World 400m at the 2022 U20 World Championships … Also captured the 4x400m relay title at the 2022 U20 Championship … Great South West Champion in the 100m, 200m, 400m and the 4x100m relay in 2022 … Holds the meet record at the KU Relays in the 400m, running 53.56 … Fastest in Missouri history and is an eight-time state champion.

Personal
Daughter of Elisha and Mikki Akins, born on August 30, 2005 … Has one sibling, Zaria … Father, Elisha, ran track & field and played basketball at Ohio University … Mother, Mikki, competed in volleyball, track & field and cheer at Ohio … Plans to major in Civil Engineering and hopes to either be a professional athlete or move into an engineering/architect career … Originally committed to Kentucky, but followed Coach Tim Hall to Carolina … Also received offers from Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Ohio State, Miami, Kansas, UCLA, Wisconsin, Minnesota and LSU.

Personal Records

Indoor