Leon Clarke

Trent Zelden

Throws

/ Track & Field

Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - 2021.03.26 - Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - 2021.03.27 - Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Photo by: Walt Beazley/Arkansas

Position:
Sprints
Height:
6-3
Class (Indoor):
Jr.
Class (Outdoor):
So.^
Hometown:
St. Ann, Jamaica
High School/Previous School:
St. Jago HS / Essex CC

2022 Outdoor Season
Completed the 400m at the LSU Battle on the Bayou to come in fifth place and earn a new personal best time of 46.45 (4/2).

2022 Indoor Season
Finished second in the 500m at the UAB Blazer Invitational, with a new personal best time of 1:01.76 (1/14)... At the Tiger Paw Invite, placed fourth and achieved a new personal best time at 3:08.34 in the 4x400 and placed sixth with a new personal best time of 1:48.88 in the 800m (2/11-12).

2021 Outdoor Season

Won the 400m with a new PR of 47.50 and was the rabbit in the 800m at the Bulldog Relays (3/26) ... At the Florida Relays, he finished second in the 800m at a personal-best time of 1:48.55 (4/3) ... Came in fourth with a personal-best 47.01 time in the 400m at the War Eagle Invitational (4/17) ... Ran to a sixth-place finish in the 800m invite with a personal-best of 1:48.35 as well as ran a leg of the winning 4x400m relay at the Maroon & White Invitational (5/1) ... At the SEC Championships, he competed in the 800m prelim, finishing in 11th at 1:49.94 (5/13) ... Competed in the 800m at the NCAA East Prelims, finishing in seventh in the first round to qualify for the quarterfinals where he came in 13th, also ran a leg of the 4x400m (5/28).

2021 Indoor Season

Competed in the 800m at the Music City Challenge with a personal-best time of 1:51.49, finishing in 10th (2/13) ... Ran in the 800m semifinals at the SEC Indoor Championships, finishing in 20th (2/26).

2020 Outdoor Season (at Essex CC)

Season was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Indoor Season (at Essex CC)

Competed in nine meets overall, including the NJCAA Indoor Championships ... Had top-10 finishes in every meet he competed in ... Had a first-place finish in the 400m at the Spartan Invite (1/10) ... Placed first in the 500m at 1:03.71, a personal-best, and first in the 4x400m relay at the Towson Tiger Invitational (1/19) ... Finished second in the 200m with a personal-best 22.85 time and fourth in the DMR at the Coach I Open (1/25) ... Had a second-place finish in the 400m at the Villanova Invitational (2/1) at a personal-best of 48.33 ... Finished in first in the 500m and the 4x400m relay at Monmouth's Winter Collegiate Invitational (2/15) ... Finished second in the 400m at the Armory Last Chance (2/21) ... At the Princeton Indoor Invitational, he finished in second in the 800m which was a PR at 1:55.95 and first in the 4x400m (2/23) ... At the NJCAA Championships, he earned silver in the 600m at 1:18.34, a personal-best.

2019 Outdoor Season (at Essex CC)

Finished second in the 400m at the Monmouth Season Opener meet and seventh in the 200m (3/30) ... Had a second-place finish in the 200m and third-place finish in the 800m at the Bill Butler Invitational (4/6) ... Competed in the 800m at the Peacocks and Brick City Classic where he finished third (4/28).

2019 Indoor Season (at Essex CC)

Finished third in the 400m and seventh in the 800m in his first meet at the Coach I Open at Franklin and Marshall (1/12) ... Had a first-place finish at the Frank Colden Invitational in the 400m and placed fifth in the 200m (2/2) ... Crossed the line in first in the 500m at Monmouth's Winter Collegiate Invitational (2/9) ... Finished in third and fourth in the 200m and 400m, respectively, at the Princeton Indoor Invite (2/16) ... Finished eighth overall in the 600m at the NJCAA Indoor Championships (3/2).

Academics

Named USTFCCCA All-Academic in 2021 ... Named a President's Scholar in the fall of 2020 ... Named to the Bulldog Honor Roll in fall 2020 and spring 2021.

Before the Bulldogs

Spent two seasons at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey coached by Lionel Leach ... Graduated from St. Jago High School where he was coached by Andrew Kidd, running in the 800m ... Was a Class 2 800m Champion in 2015 ... Named the Carifta Games U18 800m Champion in 2015 ... Was a part of the first place 4x400m team at Youth Commonwealth in 2015 ... A World Youth finalist in the 800m in 2015, finishing in sixth place ... A Youth Commonwealth finalist in the 800m, finishing in fourth in 2015 ... Penn Relays Champion in the 4x800m in 2016 ... Gibson Relays Champion in 2017 in the 4x800m relay where they set the record at 7:32.76.

Personal

Born Leon Anthony Clarke on October 26, 1998 in St. Ann, Jamaica ... Mother is Ann-Marie Francis.

Collegiate Bests:

Indoor

200m – 22.85^ (Coach I Open – 1/25/2020)
400m – 48.33^ (Villanova Invitational – 2/1/2020)
500m – 1:03.71^ (Towson Tiger Invitational – 1/19/2020)
600m – 1:18.34^ (NJCAA Championships – 3/6-7/2020)
800m – 1:51.49 (Music City Challenge – 2/13/2021)

Outdoor

200m – 22.43^ (Monmouth Season Opener – 3/29-30/2019)
400m – 47.01 (War Eagle Invitational – 4/17/2021)
800m – 1:48.35 (Maroon & White Invite – 4/30/2021)

^set at prior school

TRACK & FIELD | NCAA NATIONALS PLAYERS MEDIA SESSION 5/30/24

Thursday, May 30

TRACK & FIELD | NCAA NATIONALS COACHES MEDIA SESSION 5/30/24

Thursday, May 30

TRACK & FIELD | Chris Woods Media Session - 02/23/23

Friday, February 24

Track and Field Chris Woods Media Session 033122

Thursday, March 31

Eppie Strikes Gold In Tokyo

Sunday, September 21

Arop Earns Bronze In 800m Final At World Championships

Saturday, September 20

Anderson Breaks Jamaican National Record In Semifinals

Thursday, September 18

2025 World Athletics Championships - Curtis Thompson, Anderson Peters, Marco Arop, Navasky Anderson

Bulldog Quartet On Top Of The World After Historic Morning

Thursday, September 18

Mississippi State University Athletics

2021 Track & Field Roster

Roster

Kareem Agostino

Navasky Anderson

Jordan Barrow

Blake Beavers

Jacob Belin

Sarah Blake

Danielle Brissett

Zoe Brito-Babapulle

Shayla Broughton

Keshun Byrd

Garrett Carswell

Francesca Chambers

Leon Clarke

Rosealee Cooper

Benjamin Craw

Cameron Crump

Sema'J Daniels

Silvia De La Pena Garibay

Giacomo DeLuca

Reese Dunne

Helen Claire Edmonds

Keldrick Edwards

Alexis Farley

Shayla Felder

Cade Finley

Colby Freeman

Clayton Fulgham

Faith Gilbert

Jada Grant

Sindri Guðmundsson

Omari Hammond

Jesse Henderson

Audrey Honiotes

Montel Hood

Tierra Hooker

Breja Hooks

Tyriq Horsford

Emma Hunt

Brock Isom

DJ Jónsson

Kennedy Jackson

Freddie Jackson III

Maddy Kish

Karson Kowalchuk

Nolan Krol

Julia Lasley

Emilia Lesniak

Shacquille Lowe

Katie Martin

Caroline Mattox

Jada McDougle

Ashley Melcherts

Peyton Mickelson

Okheme Moore

Gabriel Moronta

Cathrina Morris

Shar Nichols

Jenna Oetting

Daniel Pepper

Stephanie Peterson

Jeremiah Pierce

Asia Poe

Matthew Ray

Slater Richardson

Shamar Rose

Sylvia Russell

Savannah Schwab

Kenya Small

Nykah Smith

Samuel Smith

Terry Smith Jr.

Lake Spradling

Jhordyn Stallworth

Caroline Standley

Sydney Steely

Emma Tucker

Chandler Underwood