The "Cobra Spotlight" is a weekly highlight of a student-athlete at Coker College. Each week we take a different athlete from a different sport and display some facets to get more familiar with them. This week we take a look at Austin Akins and JD Dykes, members of the wrestling team.
Name: Austin Akins
Sport: Wrestling
Position: Heavyweight
Hometown: Matoaca, Virginia
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology
Why did you choose Coker? I chose Coker because coach Cy Wainwright won a national championship in the same weight class I compete in. I figured wrestling for a coach with his credentials would give me the best opportunity to win a national title as well.
What is your best memory at Coker (athletic related)? Wrestling in the finals of our first open tournament.
What is your best memory at Coker (non-athletic related)? The talent show during our wrestling team camping retreat.
Which athletic team would you play on at Coker other than your own? I would say baseball because it was my best sport in high school.
Favorite class: Lifetime fitness
Favorite professor: I like all of them, actually. The Nutty Professor is always number one in my heart though.
Plans after graduation: A grad assistant job for a wrestling program would be ideal. I want to be a physical therapist or a weightlifting coach for a collegiate program, but coaching wrestling is always an option.
Favorite movie: Rocky Balboa. Billy Madison and Crash are up there too.
Favorite type of music: Hip-hop, but I also dabble in a little old-school jazz flute – mainly Ron Burgundy.
Favorite food: Chicken curry, lamb over rice and cheesecake
Favorite sports team: Oklahoma Sooners, New York Yankees and New Orleans Saints
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite TV show: Dexter; SpongeBob is probably my most quoted though.
Most prized possession: My Beats Pro headphones
What is something people may not know about you? As of less than six months ago, I thought that I would never compete collegiately again. Also, that I do very little with my life other than wrestling, school and Netflix.
Do you have a nickname? If so, how did you get it? I have a group of eight friends back home that all have animal nicknames and I was the owl; only a small part of the reason why I have an owl tattoo.
One word that describes you: Majestic
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Name: JD Dykes
Sport: Wrestling
Position: 157 weight class
Hometown: Marion, S.C.
Year: Junior
Major: Criminology
Why did you choose Coker? I chose Coker because I wanted to be part of Coker’s first-year wrestling program.
What is your best memory at Coker (athletic related)? The time I have spent with my coaches and teammates would be my best memories.
What is your best memory at Coker (non-athletic related)? Hanging out and just getting to know the new people I have met this year.
Which athletic team would you play on at Coker other than your own? Men’s basketball or baseball.
Favorite class: All of my criminology courses
Favorite professor: Dr. Siegfried
Plans after graduation: I would like to become a probation officer and work my way up in my career from there.
Favorite movie: Shottas
Favorite type of music: Drake
Favorite food: Thanksgiving food
Favorite sports team: L.A. Lakers
Favorite color: Green
Favorite TV show: Regular Show
Most prized possession: My little sister
What is something people may not know about you? I like to listen to poetry
Do you have a nickname? If so, how did you get it? My old high school nickname was ‘BMD’and it stood for Beast Mode Dykes. I was a beast at nearly every sport I played, so the nickname just stuck.
One word that describes you: Ambitious.