Donna Dennis

A 1982 Clover Park High School graduate, Donna Dennis remains to this day the greatest female sprinter to come out of the State of Washington. In 1982, she won the U.S. Junior Track & Field Championships in the 100 meters (11.52 seconds) and 200 meters (23.39 seconds). That same year, she won both events at the Pan American Junior Championships in Barquisimito, Venezuela. Dennis came to Clover Park High School as a multievent track champion at Woodbrook Junior High. She didn’t miss a beat at Clover Park, winning state 200-meter titles from 1980-82. She also won the state 100-meter championships in 1981-82, and anchored Clover Park’s state champion 400-meter relay team in 1981. Her 200 mark of 24.13 seconds in 1982 still stands as the Class 4A state meet record, and her 23.39 in the 200 is still the fastest ever run by a Washington high school female. At the University of Washington she was a three-time NorPac champion in both the 100 and 200, and she was an NCAA finalist in both sprints. Dennis ran a 23.40 in the 200-meter dash in 1983, still the fastest 200 ever run by a woman at UW, and she ranks second on the 100-meter list, clocking an 11.53 in 1983. Dennis also ran a leg on the UW’s fastest 400-meter relay team – 44.74 set in 1985. She ran in the 1984 Olympic Trials and was a finalist in the 200, qualifying as an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team in Los Angeles.