Angela Payne Starnes will be the first one to admit that she still watches the scoreboard at the Class A State Track Meet to see if any sprinter in the 100 meters breaks 12.2 seconds. If they don’t, that means the former Todd County Central standout will keep the state record for another year.
The 100-meter win was one of three titles she won her senior season in 1980 for the Lady Rebels. She also won the 200 and 400 meters with her points good enough for a team finish of third place.
Several runners have come close to Starnes’ mark but none have eclipsed it, making it one of the longest held state records at the state meet in any class.
In all, Starnes captured seven state titles. She won the quarter-mile run and was part of the state champion 400-meter relay in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
She credits her mother for driving her to Todd County Central High School as a middle schooler so she could practice her running. It was there where people saw her talent first hand.
After high school, Starnes took her talent to Murray State where she not only ran for the track team, but she also met her future husband Al.
After college, they moved to Crittenden County. Al would become the head football coach of the Rockets, and Angela would coach the track and field team and eventually become athletic director.
Al stepped down as the winningest football coach in Crittenden County following the 2017 season. Angela did the same as teacher and athletic director in the spring of 2018. They both retired from teaching and now live in Trigg County on Lake Barkley.
Their daughter Lonna, who was a sprinter for the Crittenden County track teams that Angela coached, is following in her parents’ footsteps. She teaches at McCracken County and helps coach the track team.
Angela admits now that she is retired, she won’t make as many trips to Lexington for the state meet. But even if she doesn’t attend, odds are she will still check the following day to see if anyone in the girls’ Class A 100 meters breaks 12.2 seconds. Because that’s what competitors do.
