Charleston – All athletes dream of ending their career as a state champion.
Saturday afternoon at the 2024 W.Va. State High School Track Meet, the dream for Woodrow Wilson sprinter Ama Ackon-Annan became a reality.
In a tightly contested race, Ackon-Annan pulled away as she made the turn down the back-stretch to be crowned the Class AAA 200-meter dash state champion at Laidley Field in Charleston.
Ackon-Annan finished the race in 25.30 seconds, ahead of Eva Craigie (25.55) from Martinsburg and Haleigh Crum (25.61) from Spring Valley.
“It is a really great feeling. It is my senior year and my last race for track,” Ackon-Annan said. “Just to end it off in this way is really sweet. I am really thankful for all of my teammates and all of my coaches who helped me get to this point. I had fun and it was good today.”
The senior speed-burner picked up three additional medals Saturday.
Prior to the win in the 200 meter dash, Ackon-Annan finished second in the 100 meter dash, just .07 second out of first place.
As part of the 4×200 relay team, along with Kyndall Ince, Salia Harris and Nevaiah Simmons, the newly crowned state champion helped lead the Flying Eagles to a runner-up finish in that event as well. It took Jefferson setting a new state record to top the girls from Beckley.
In the 4×100 meter relay, Woodrow Wilson finished in fifth place.
“It really has been a great day,” Ackon-Annan said. “This is a result of all of our training. We have mixed really well together. It has made the state meet memorable every year. To put on a performance like this is great.”
Saturday capped off what has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Ackon-Annan who plans to attend West Virginia University after receiving an exclusive scholarship.
“It is called the Foundation Scholarship. It is a full ride that covers tuition, meals, books, room and board,” Ackon-Annan said. “It also provides a $4,500 stipend to travel overseas and study there for a summer. It is awarded to five West Virginia residents per year.”
Along with being an premier track athlete, Ackon-Annan was also a key scorer for the Woodrow Wilson girls soccer team. While she hasn’t quite decided where to study overseas, it may involve her other main sport.
“I am thinking somewhere in Europe and maybe England. I watch a lot of professional soccer,” Ackon-Annan said. “I follow the Premier League and I would love to see a game there, but I am still thinking about it.”
