Franklyn Akabi-During ’28 broke record after record on his way to winning the Centennial Championship Outstanding Track Performer.
Akabi-During wasted no time in his first season. Akabi-During earned a spot on the podium in his first ever race for the Devils and never looked back.
The talented sprinter claimed first place for the first time in January, running a 6.90 60 meter to claim gold.
Akabi-During found his way back to the top of the podium a couple weeks later. The speedster won both the 200m and the 300m. His 35.51 300m broke the school record for that event. The freshman was still not done.
He won two more events the following weekend. Akabi-During won the 60m but more impressively he won the 200m and broke a more than decade long school record for best time. His 22.23 time beat out the former record of 22.28. He was also a part of the 4×400 team that claimed first place. Akabi-During had won five races while breaking two school records in just two weekends.
Akabi-During only ran in the 4×200 in the following week in a tune up for the Centennial Conference Championship. It should come as no surprise that he was a member of the winning team in that event.
The following week was the big event and he did not disappoint. On day one of the Championship, Akabi-During broke the school, Conference and Conference meet record to easily advance to the finals.
He was also on the 4×200 team that won gold while also breaking a school record.
Day two was more of the same for the Freshman phenom. He cruised to victory in the 60m and added another first place finish. Akabi-During then won the 200m while breaking the championship and school record.
He closed his day off by winning and of course, breaking another school record as Akabi-During and Dickinson won the 4×400.
Akabi-During ran in five races at the Centennial Conference championship, he won every single one of them.
The first year has won the last 13 races he has run. He now will compete against the best of the DIII in the NCAA Championship next weekend.
He will be full of confidence, and you can see why.
Akabi-During is not only on pace to be the best sprinter in Dickinson history, but maybe the best athlete the Red Devils have ever had.