Former Auburn standout Lacena Golding-Clarke returned to her alma mater in July 2022 after spending the previous 10 years as an assistant coach at UTEP. At Auburn, Golding-Clarke coaches the women’s sprints and hurdlers.
At Auburn, she has coached All-American Vimbay Maisvorewa, who competed at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships while also breaking a 13-year-old Auburn indoor 400m school record that season. Another Golding-Clarke pupil, Deborah Oke, established the Auburn freshman outdoor 400m school record last season and along with Maisvorewa are two of the top five 400m performers in AU history.
In 2024, Maisvorewa and Oke helped Auburn’s 4x400m relay post the second fastest time in program history during the indoor season and the fourth fastest during the outdoor season.
During her time at UTEP she directed the Miner's sprints and hurdle events, coaching 13 All-Americans, 32 regional qualifiers, 32 C-USA individual crowns and eight school records. Golding-Clarke has also received the Mountain Region Coach of the Year award on three occasions (2014 indoor and outdoor, and 2017).
Golding-Clarke mentored Tobi Amusan to three consecutive All-American honors after claiming her the 2017 NCAA outdoor title in the 100m hurdles, breaking her own school record with a time of 12.57 and helping the women win their first outdoor conference title in program history. As a freshman Amusan claimed silver at NCAAs and was named C-USA Track Athlete of the Year, C-USA Freshman of the Meet and C-USA High Point Scorer. Amusan went on to compete at the IAAF U20 Championships and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Golding-Clarke came to UTEP from the University of Texas at Austin, where she served as an assistant track and field coach for women's jumps and hurdles for five years. She served as a volunteer coach for seven years at Auburn from 1999-2006. She assisted the head coach in hurdles and multi events as she helped guide the women's team to its first NCAA title in 2006. Clarke mentored three SEC champions during her time with the Tigers.
Golding-Clarke graduated in 1999 from Auburn. As a Tiger, Golding-Clarke became a six-time All-American claiming silver in the long jump at the 1998 NCAA Championships. She was a four-time SEC Champion and holds the school record in the women's 55m hurdles. In 1998, she became a Southeastern Conference Women's Commissioner's Trophy winner.
Golding-Clarke competed for Jamaica at the Olympics in 1996, 2000 and 2004, participating in the long jump and 100m hurdles. In 2004 Olympics, she finished fifth overall in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.73; her personal best is 12.65. She was a professional athlete for 10 years and participated in six consecutive World Championships. She was the Commonwealth Games Champion in 2002; she posted a bronze medal finish at the 2004 World Athletics Final in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.69.