With a dream to leave Los Banos in the rearview mirror and become a collegiate athlete, sophomore cross-country runner Mikayla Akers is a small-town girl running for a Division I college team.
Akers grew up in Los Banos, a Central California farm town with a population of 37,643, located near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5.
Akers participated on the track team at Los Banos High School where she used to run the dirt track. She said she sent emails to colleges her senior year, hoping for an opportunity to run at a collegiate level. When San Jose State University cross-country head coach Brad Wick replied, she said she knew a school that’s
79 miles away from home was the right choice for her.
What interested Wick was Akers’ 400-meter time from her junior year.
“If you see an athlete that has potential, then you write back and you see if they follow up. She, of course, followed up, and we kept the conversation going,” Wick said.
During her senior year in high school, Akers signed a commitment to attend SJSU, making her the first athlete in her high school’s history to sign with a Division I collegiate school.
Akers said her first year in San Jose was a challenge because she had to adjust to her new environment and recover from an injury. In the 2017 season, she was only able to participate in two runs.
“I think she’s a work-in-progress in a good way. She comes in and she’s excited and ready to learn,” Wick said. “I think as she gets more involved and more confident; I think she can have huge personal records.”
Roommate and teammate Kai Bohannon is another small town girl who has been there since the beginning of Akers’ college experience. Bohannon said that Akers is a supportive hype woman who is a great all-around person. The two friends can never recall a time they argued because they get along well. Bohannon said that whether they’re sad or happy, they love to eat.
“I don’t get tired of Mikayla, there is never too much of Mikayla. I hope to keep this friendship forever,” Bohannon said.
She said that Akers has an energy that lightens up the place and when the two parted ways past summer they missed each other.
Last summer Akers went back to her hometown. Though there isn’t much to do in a small town, besides walking around through Target, she still trained with her old high school teammates.
On the hot summer days in central California, the temperature would reach 100 degrees, Akers said.
“During the summer I would wake up at 6:30 a.m., latest at 8 because it gets hot. After that, I don’t run,” Akers said.
Though Akers still visits her family back at her hometown, she enjoys the change of scenery.
“I think I like the city better than the small town. In a small town, everyone knows everyone, you have to watch what you say,” Akers said. “Here in San Jose, it’s different. I feel a lot stronger being part of a collegiate team. My team is like my family.”
Akers still has her support system back home from her family and past coaches but she is happy with the experiences that SJSU cross country has given her in her collegiate career.
