[2] She moved on to Louisiana State University, competing for their LSU Lady Tigers track and field team.
She was the holder of the American collegiate record in the 100 m with her best time of 10.78 seconds, set in the qualifying heats at the 1989 NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she won in 10.91 after a slow start.
In 2019 Sha'Carri Richardson, also from LSU Lady Tigers track and field broke the record with a time of 10.75.
Sowell won her first and only senior national title at the 1989 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking the 100 m crown in 11.12 seconds, ahead of Sheila Echols and Esther Jones.
[3] Her only international appearance for the United States followed at the 1989 IAAF World Cup, where she was a member of the bronze medal-winning 4 × 100-meter relay team alongside Echols, Jones and Wendy Vereen.