| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | March 27, 1999 |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Sprints |
| College team | North Carolina A&T Aggies |
| Club | Adidas |
| Turned pro | 2021 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | |
Cambrea Sturgis (born March 27, 1999) is an American professional track and field athlete specializing in the sprints. She won two national titles in 2021, winning the 100 m and the 200 m at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships as a sophomore.
Early life
Sturgis grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina, where her first sport was basketball.[1] She began running track in middle school, following in the footsteps of her father, Darius.[1][2] Sturgis initially struggled, finishing last in races, but improved after joining an Amateur Athletic Union club called the Salisbury Speedsters.[1]
Sturgis graduated from A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, North Carolina.[3] She was one of the fastest 100 m and 200 m sprinters in the state by her sophomore year,[1] earning MecKa 4A Conference female track athlete of the year accolades.[4] She was the Cabarrus County and 4A West Region champion in both events that year, placing top-three at the 4A state meet with respective times of 11.73 and 24.04 seconds.[5] Sturgis repeated as 4A West Region champion in the 200 m as a junior,[5] but did not compete as a senior.[6]
Sturgis was discovered as a sophomore by North Carolina A&T State University head coach Duane Ross, who said: "Mechanically, she has the tools. She is wired the correct way for a sprinter. I knew she had a future in this sport, and as soon as I could, I started recruiting her."[7] Sturgis also received offers from programs such as LSU, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota and Western Carolina.[2]
College career
Sturgis competed at the NCAA Division I level for the North Carolina A&T Aggies. As a freshman, she broke the 200 m school record with a winning time of 23.43 seconds at the 2019 Hokie Invitational.[7] Sturgis also finished third in the 200 m at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships with a personal best time of 22.40 seconds.[8] She was named a first-team All-American by the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).[5]
Sturgis won her first conference title as a sophomore, taking the 200 m crown at the 2020 MEAC Indoor Championships to contribute to the Aggies' fourth straight indoor team title.[9] She also ran a personal best time of 7.15 seconds in the 60 m to set a meet record at the Jim Green Invitational, earning national female athlete of the week honors by the USTFCCCA.[10] In the spring season, Sturgis won the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m events at the 2021 MEAC Outdoor Championships, leading the Aggies to a conference title with 290 points.[11] She was again named national female athlete of the week by the USTFCCCA for her performance.[11]
Sturgis won the sprint double the following month at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, winning the 100 m event in 10.74 seconds before placing first in the 200 m with a personal best time of 22.12 seconds.[2][12] The former became the fastest wind aided 100 m time in NCAA history while the latter was the fourth-fastest 200 m performance in NCAA history.[12][2] She also anchored the 4 × 100 m team to a third-place finish with a school-record time of 43.03 seconds.[2][12] Sturgis competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 m and 200 m events, but was eliminated in the semi-finals in both races. She was named the 2021 Southeast Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA.[12][13]
Professional career
On July 4, 2021, Sturgis announced that she would be foregoing her remaining college eligibility and pursuing a professional career with Adidas.[14]
On April 23, 2022, Sturgis ran a world-leading time of 10.87 seconds to win the 100 m event at the Aggie Classic, improving on Elaine Thompson-Herah's mark of 10.89 from the week before.[15]
Achievements
Personal bests
All information taken from World Athletics profile.[16]
| Type | Event | Time | Date | Place | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor | 55 metres | 7.08 | December 17, 2016 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| 60 metres | 7.15 | January 11, 2020 | Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | ||
| 200 metres | 23.02 | February 15, 2020 | Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S. | ||
| 300 metres | 37.71 | January 24, 2020 | Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S. | ||
| Outdoor | 100 metres | 10.87 | April 23, 2022 | Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | +1.8 m/s (wind) |
| 10.74 w | June 12, 2021 | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | +2.2 m/s (wind) | ||
| 200 metres | 22.12 | June 12, 2021 | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | +0.2 m/s (wind) | |
| 400 metres | 56.47 | March 23, 2019 | High Point, North Carolina, U.S. |
National championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Wind (m/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing North Carolina A&T Aggies (2019–2021) and adidas (2021–) | |||||||
| 2019 | NCAA Division I Championships | Austin, Texas | 5th (semis) | 100 m | 11.22 | +0.6 | |
| 3rd | 200 m | 22.40 | +1.3 | ||||
| 6th | 4×100 m relay | 43.09 | — | ||||
| 2021 | NCAA Division I Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 100 m | 10.74 w | +2.2 | Wind-assisted |
| 1st | 200 m | 22.12 | +0.2 | PB | |||
| 3rd | 4×100 m relay | 43.03 | — | ||||
| U.S. Olympic Trials | 5th (semis) | 100 m | 11.05 w | +2.6 | Wind-assisted | ||
| 7th (semis) | 200 m | 22.68 | -0.3 | ||||
| 2022 | U.S. Indoor Championships | Spokane, Washington | 5th | 60 m | 7.18 | — | |
National titles
- NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- 100 m: 2021
- 200 m: 2021
References
- 1 2 3 4 Horton, C. Jemal (May 4, 2016). "Small Wonder, Big Deal: A.L. Brown's 5-foot Sturgis has become one of state's top sprinters". Independent Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2022. (subscription required)
- 1 2 3 4 5 Jordan, Meagan (June 18, 2021). "N.C. A&T's Cambrea Sturgis looking to make U.S. Olympic team in the 100, 200 meters". Andscape. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ↑ London, Mike (June 13, 2021). "Former A.L. Brown standout Cambrea Sturgis wins two sprint events". Salisbury Post. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ↑ "MECKA Spring All-Conference teams announced". The Charlotte Observer. May 25, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- 1 2 3 Horton, C. Jemal (June 11, 2019). "Former Wonders track star Sturgis third in the nation, first-team All-American". Independent Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2022. (subscription required)
- ↑ Horton, C. Jemal (June 16, 2019). "Ex-Wonder Sturgis keeping Kannapolis in the national spotlight". Independent Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2022. (subscription required)
- 1 2 Nance, Roscoe (January 23, 2019). "North Carolina A&T State Track & Field Has Lofty Goals". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ↑ Gaither, Steven J. (June 8, 2019). "NCAT's White finishes second in record-setting NCAA 100". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ↑ "NCAT Women Win MEAC Indoor Title for Fourth Straight Year". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. February 29, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ↑ "NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (Jan. 14)". U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association. January 14, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- 1 2 "NCAA OTF National Athletes of the Week (May 11)". U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association. May 11, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Gaither, Steven J. (June 12, 2021). "Cambrea Sturgis breaks Sha'Carri Richardson's record". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ↑ "2021 NCAA DI OTF Regional Awards" (PDF). U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association. p. 10. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ↑ Stanley, Symone (July 5, 2021). "Cambrea Sturgis, NCAA champ, turns pro". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ↑ Williams, Lut (April 25, 2022). "NC A&T tracksters show off in Aggieland". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ↑ Cambrea Sturgis at World Athletics