A sport that dates back to 776 BC continues to thrive at the great school of North Atlanta. Track & Field consists of events including running, jumping and throwing heavy objects. Those who are involved in this sport have to discipline themselves and push their bodies to the furthest extent in order to beat all competition. Kayleigh Stargell, a junior at North Atlanta, is truly a force to be reckoned with on the track. Leaping over hurdles figuratively and literally, Stargell has been shattering track records since the age of 8, breaking the national record in the 400 meters with a time of 68 seconds. Even in her first year at North Atlanta, she has already left her mark on the track, breaking the school record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.42. Watching her run on the track is truly a sight to see and North Atlanta is lucky to have this new addition to the team.

Stargell first began her track career at the age of 6. She asked her mom if she could start running track with no recollection as to why. Her mom put her on the Smyrna Elite Track Club, and then she moved on to Full Throttle Elite in Marietta GA. Stargell’s first event she ever ran was the 400-meter dash. At her first meet, She went on to run the 400m and 200m. As the years went on she was introduced to more events – long jump, age 9, and hurdles, age 10. Currently, her favorite events are the 400 hurdles and the triple jump. “Triple jump is hard on the body,” she said. “I love it though.”  

Even the best athletes go through troubling times,  the Pandemic was a challenging period for Stargell.  A lot of her opponents improved but she decided to take a break. Stargell felt secluded mentally and was having doubts about continuing her sport. She had no official coach and her mom was filling that position. “Taking time off was great, but I regretted it when it was time to return back to the track,” she said. “It took a lot of hard work and focus to get back to where I was.” 

Stargell’s number 1 supporter is her mom, Kristie Stargell, who has played a huge role in her success. She teaches Kayleigh every day, on and off the track. Her mom is her biggest fan and she would not be where she is without her. Track is very demanding and at Stargell’s level requires an immense amount of travel. Her mom attends all of her meets and never misses a beat. “My mom reminds me every day That I am special,” she said. “She humbles me and for that, I am so grateful.”  

Since Stargell has been at North Atlanta, she has managed to break 3 different school records. She broke the long jump record with a 17’10. The triple jump, with a 39’5.5. Lastly, the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.42. Stargell just started the triple jump this season. Her third jump ever was #4 in Georgia.

Stargell’s track career is 11 years old but a new chapter is about to commence. Many Division 1 colleges have shown much interest in Stargell, and she has made a number of unofficial visits. Some of these colleges include the University of Georgia, the University of Kentucky, the University of Clemson, Vanderbilt University, Penn State University, and the University of Michigan. She has yet to commit somewhere; however, she would be very happy if she could stay in the South closer to family. “I have been training hard for almost 10 years,” she said. “Deciding where I get to go to college and continue the sport I love is so rewarding.”

Stargell has a career full of highlights; however, her best accomplishment was when she broke the National record in when she was 13 years old in the 200-meter hurdles with a time of 26.84. She broke the record twice, once in the prelim with 27.00 and once in the final. At the time, Stargell was undefeated in this event. “ After the race, it felt really nice to get another win,” she said. “All my hard work was paying off.”

Recently, Stargell attended the New Balance Nationals for Indoor Track in Boston, Massachusetts. She participated in the Pentathlon, which is one contest that includes five different events. These events include the 60m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 800m. She placed 2nd out of 17 girls and was crowned All-American. At this meet, Stargell also met the Olympian Sydney Mclaughlin. “I was starstruck,” she said. “I look up to Sydney in a lot of ways, so I was so happy to meet her.”  

Kayleigh Stargell has an incredibly bright future ahead. Wherever she plans to attend college, Stargell wants to major in Business and minor in Sports Marketing.  With her business degree, she wants to work with Team Sports within their marketing department. Through tough times Kayleigh Stargell was able to push past all of her faults and obstacles to become the person and the athlete she is today.