CAREER
Saw action in a total of 11 career games, mostly on special teams.
2021
Played in all 10 games as a senior defensive back … Contributed primarily on special teams … Made one tackle on season … Tackle came at Central Connecticut State (Oct. 9).
2020
Season canceled due to COVID pandemic.
2019
Saw action in one game as a sophomore defensive back … Contributed primarily on special teams and on Columbia’s scout team … Saw first career game action in season finale at Cornell (Nov. 23).
2018
Did not see any action as a first-year defensive back … Contributed primarily on Columbia’s scout team.
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of Bellevue High School, where he played three years of varsity football for Head Coach Mark Landes … First Team All-King County selection as a junior safety … Two-year team captain … Played defensive back (safety) and running back … Helped guide the Wolverines to a three-year 37-4 overall record and four King County Championships in football … Played just three games during senior season after suffering an injury … Led the Wolverines to an 11-2 overall, 5-0 district record and King County title as a senior … Helped lead the Wolverines to an 11-2 overall, 6-0 district record and King County title as a sophomore … Invited to the 2017 Nike Opening and attended the New Jersey Opening in April 2017 … Named the No. 1 Most Under-recruited player in the Northwest by NW Spotlight … Named one of Athlon’s Top-50 Under Recruited Players for 2017 … Competed in 7v7 football with Ford Sports Performance and helped lead the team to a third-place finish at nationals in Las Vegas and No. 5 national ranking … Also competed in basketball (point guard) and track and field … Four-year track and field letterman in the pole vault and sprints (100-meters: 11.55; 200-meters: 23.54, 400-meters) and sprint relays … Placed fifth and ninth in the state in the 4x100-meter relay … Played AAU basketball and with the USATF’s Speed Unlimited Track Club … Junior Olympics qualifier in both seventh and eighth grade in the 400-meter and relays … Involved in a variety of community service activities … Recipient of the Bellevue High School Wolverine Guard Award for achieving a minimum of 100 hours of volunteer service … Volunteered with the Union Gospel Mission as part of its search and rescue team where teams head out in UGM vans to tent cities and offer support to the homeless in Greater Seattle … Coaches his brother’s flag football team.
PERSONAL
Born Mitchell Riley Sturgill on January 21, 2000 in Bellevue, Wash. … Son of Daron and Julie Sturgill … One of five siblings (one brother and three sisters): Gabriella, Hailey, Lauren and Bodie … Both parents attended Washington State … Grandfather Joe Shephard played basketball at Seattle University (1962-66) … Uncle JJ Shephard pole vaulted at the University of Oregon from 1990-94 … Nickname is Mitch for short but he prefers Mitchell … Hobbies and interests include playing Xbox with friends, watching the Naruto series, snow-skiing … Plays football because he loves the game, loves working in the offseason with his teammates in order to see the hard work pay off on the field … Played at same high school as current Lion defensive back Ryan Gilbert … Chose Columbia because he loved the coaching staff, the fact that Columbia is taking big steps toward building its football program, world-class education and location in New York City … Chose Columbia over offers from San Diego and Cornell along with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Holy Cross, Colgate, Fordham, Air Force, Washington State, Washington, Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Bucknell, San Diego State and numerous other NCAA Division II and III schools … Also recruited to compete in track and field … Enrolled at Columbia College … Majors in Economics.
