DONNA POWELL
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Updated: May 18
Trenton Central High School 1986 -- Sprints & Hurdles
The story of Donna Powell is not just one of track and field success, but one of love, family and what ifs. One of the greatest sprinters and hurdlers ever to wear the Tornado uniform, she almost didn’t go to Trenton High, asking her mother to send her to another school. But her mother’s refusal in the name of consistency (‘No, you will go where your brothers went and you will be fine’’) proved more than prophetic; it was perhaps the turning point in a four-year journey that Powell filled with glory.
The first Mercer County girl to win a hurdles race at the Meet of Champions (in 1986, when she set a meet record of 1:00.3), she built on the legacy of Wenda Vereen becoming just the second Trenton High girl to win at the state’s most prestigious event. But consistency, not one shining moment, was Powell’s legacy, at the county, sectional and state levels.
Part of Trenton’s 4x400-meter relay that earned All-American status when she was a freshman, Powell took her running to another level as a sophomore in 1984 when she set a Mercer County Championship meet record in the 400 meters (in 56.3 seconds), the same day she helped Trenton set a 4x400 meet mark and take back the team title from archrival Notre Dame. Fueled in large part by Powell’s successes, Trenton won its first Group sectional title and Group IV state title soon thereafter. Powell culminated her glorious run at Trenton by being named Mercer County Athlete of the Year in 1986, not bad for a girl who almost ran elsewhere.
Her passion for service also led Powell into ministry, where she served as a youth leader and liturgical dance instructor at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Palm Coast, Florida.
Donna furthered her education at Daytona State College, earning credentials in Administrative Systems. She currently serves as a Court Operations Professional with the Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court in Daytona Beach, Florida.
MAJOR TITLES
NJ Meet of Champions Winner 400 Hurdles 1986
2x State Champion Group IV 400H 1985 & '86
3x CJ Sectional Champion 400m 1984, 400H 1985 & '86
5x Mercer County Champion - Indoor: 400m 1984 & '85, - Outdoor: 400m 1984, 400H 1985 & '86
