Hall of Fame induction: 1998
An national class woman sprinter of earlier times from Delaware who competed for the Delaware Track & Field Club long before organized track was available for females in high school or college.
Barbara was selected for the 1964 Olympic Trials where she advanced to the semi-finals in the 100 yard dash. In 1966, in addition to reigning as the premier woman sprinter in the Middle Atlantic area, she anchored the DTFC’s relay team to win the Penn Relays 440 yard relay championship with a time of 49.5, beating such well known teams as The Atoms Track Club of Brooklyn and the Mayor Daley Youth Foundation of Chicago, which had a number of Olympians on it’s team. Miss Sowden won numerous sprint titles indoors and outdoors from 1964 through 1968 when she retired.