WXXV Student Athlete of the Week: Ocean Springs Power Lifting/ Track & Field’s Isabella MacDonald

This week’s WXXV Student Athlete of the Week truly does it all while keeping straight As. Ocean Springs junior power lifter Bella MacDonald truly puts the term power in girl power, being a two-time state champion and currently working her way to a third.

If there’s one person that knows how to stay busy and active, it’s Ocean Springs junior Isabella MacDonald. “I do all three of my sports all in one day, so I go from two o’clock to around 6 or 7 at night every day and I go from track and field which is amazing to power lifting. Actually, I go to football, track and field, then power lifting, so honestly track and field helps set up for power lifting. It helps me get stretched out and get loose.”

Bella is a member of the Greyhound power lifting team, throws shot put and discus for the track and field team, and she’s the manager of the football team.

One of her power lifting coaches actually approached her during a football game and told her he saw a lot of potential in her.

Bella takes a lot of pride in being a member of three different high school sports teams, especially being a female. “Honestly being a woman in a sport is really hard, but being able to show it through power lifting is really cool because usually you don’t see a lot of women going out there and putting themselves out there in a sport, but power lifting is one thing you can definitely put yourself out there and know what you have to do.”

That pride builds into confidence, determination, and a whole lot of energy which is exactly why her head coach Wade Vick enjoys having her around. “We do it two hours every practice, and it’s the same lifts over and over and over, and it can get kind of repetitious and if you have somebody in the weight room that kind of brings energy to the weight room and everybody kind of feeds off of that, coaches and players.”

Bella owes a lot of her success to the power lifting volunteer coach Jason Leone. “He’s always there for me. If I’m having a bad day, he’s always like hey you’re doing amazing. You already know what you can do. Don’t let it get you down, and he’ll always like, if I need anything he’ll be right there.”

“I just took to her because the drive, the motivation, she was coachable. you could tell she was a winner.”

A winner is exactly who she is. Bella has won the state championship in the 220-weight class in back-to-back years as well as being a member of the Elite 12.

Next weekend, Bella will continue her journey to a third state championship by competing in South State. “I’m going for my third state championship my junior year, and hopefully Elite 12. I’m trying to become one of the top lifters in Mississippi, and hopefully I’ll get there! I’m proud of myself right now, and I’ve just got to keep going.”

While being a football manager it has come to Bella’s attention that her dream job is becoming a sports trainer or physician.