[1][2] Sturgis initially struggled, finishing last in races, but improved after joining an Amateur Athletic Union club called the Salisbury Speedsters.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.