Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Women's Cross Country and Track & Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Phone:
- 915-494-2998
Lacena Golding-Clarke joined the Middle Tennessee track and field staff in 2026 as an assistant coach, working with the men’s and women’s sprints and hurdles.
Golding-Clarke came to Middle Tennessee after spending four seasons at Auburn, where she coached the women’s sprints and hurdles. During her time with the Tigers, she coached All-American Vimbayi Maisvorew, who competed at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships and broke a 13-year-old Auburn indoor 400-meter school record.
Prior to joining Auburn, Golding-Clarke spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at UTEP, where she directed the Miners’ sprint and hurdle events. During her tenure, she coached 13 All-Americans, 32 NCAA regional qualifiers and 32 Conference USA individual champions, while helping athletes establish eight school records. Her athletes also earned four conference Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.
Golding-Clarke was named USTFCCCA Mountain Region Coach of the Year three times, earning the honor in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2014 and 2017.
During her time at UTEP, Golding-Clarke mentored Tobi Amusan to three consecutive All-American honors. Amusan won the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 100-meter hurdles, helping the Miners capture the first women’s outdoor conference championship in program history. Amusan later competed at the IAAF World U20 Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games before becoming the 2022 World Champion and world record holder in the 100-meter hurdles.
Before UTEP, Golding-Clarke spent five years at the University of Texas at Austin under head coach Beverly Kearney, serving as a volunteer assistant coach and working with the women’s jumps and hurdles.
She also spent seven seasons as a volunteer coach at Auburn from 1999-2006, assisting with hurdles and multi-events. During that time, she helped guide the Auburn women’s team to the program’s first NCAA team championship in 2006.
Golding-Clarke graduated from Auburn in 1999 following an outstanding collegiate career. As a Tiger, she was a six-time All-American and finished second in the long jump at the 1998 NCAA Championships. She was also a four-time SEC champion, set the Auburn school record in the women’s 55-meter hurdles and received the SEC Women’s Commissioner’s Trophy in 1998.
Golding-Clarke represented Jamaica at three Olympic Games, competing in the long jump and 100-meter hurdles. She competed professionally for 11 years and participated in six consecutive World Championships.
