Adia and Kai Starnes are hoping to lead Timber Creek girls track and field to success this spring after helping the Chargers to the first indoor state championship in school history in February.
In some ways, Timber Creek Regional High School senior twin sisters Adia and Kai Starnes are similar.
The sisters are two of the Chargers’ fastest athletes on the girls track and field team and are so closely matched, their personal best times in the 400-meter run during the 2016–17 winter season were within 0.2 seconds of each other.
In other ways, Adia and Kai are unique. Kai qualified for the high jump in the 2017 NJSIAA Winter Meet of Champions, while Adia qualified for the 55-meter dash and 400-meter run.
Together, the twins make a winning combination. After helping Timber Creek win its first NJSIAA Group III state championship in the 2017 indoor season, Adia and Kai want to help the Chargers win one more title in their final high school season.
The Starnes twins began their track and field careers in the sixth grade when they joined the team at Ann A. Mullen Middle School. They began competing in short distance events such as the 100-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay. As middle school went on, both Adia and Kai began to pick up field events.
“I tried shot put and long jump,” Adia said. “I was pretty good at the long jump, but I didn’t carry it over.”
Kai started the long jump and high jump in middle school and continues to compete in the high jump in high school. During the 2017 indoor season, Kai finished eighth in the high jump at February’s Meet of Champions.
For the past four years at Timber Creek, Adia’s main focus has been on the 100-meter dash and 400-meter run, while Kai has run a bit of the 400-meter in addition to the high jump.
The sisters have also competed together on both the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relay teams. In the relay events, Kai and Adia’s familiarity with one another comes in handy.
“Our handoffs are way better than with other people,” Kai said. “Even in middle school, I always handed off to her and we did the same 4×100 all three years and we won every meet.”
Adia and Kai were two of the runners on the state-championship-clinching 4×400-meter relay team in February. Both girls also contributed individually at the state championship meet, as Kai finished second in the high jump and Adia finished third in the 55-meter dash.
Both sisters say they’ve improved their times dramatically this year thanks to extended training last summer. Adia believes both her and Kai have become better runners mentally thanks to the work they put in during the offseason.
“Now I know how fast to push myself and I have a lot more endurance so I don’t get as tired,” Adia said.
“We both learned a lot about our body and how we have to run our race,” Kai added.
The improved running has been especially important for Kai, who is expecting to compete more in the 400-meter run this spring than in past seasons.
“They always kept me at the high jump pit, so I’ve run a lot more than the spring season last year,” Kai said.
Both sisters acknowledged expectations are higher than ever for Timber Creek entering this spring season. Adia talked of how the team’s goal is to win in every meet possible, from Penn Relays in late April to the Olympic Conference championship to the Group III State Championship.
Both sisters also plan to enjoy their final track season together before going to different colleges next fall. Kai will attend the University of Delaware, while Adia plans to go to either Stony Brook University or Howard University.
