Valley College’s Clarke Chooses USC for Track

In a mild surprise, Melanie Clarke of Valley College will continue her collegiate track and field career at USC next season.

Clarke, the 1990 state junior college and The Athletics Congress junior (ages 14-19) champion in the heptathlon, chose USC over UCLA, Texas, Arizona, Nevada Las Vegas and Washington.

She made recruiting trips to USC, Texas, Arizona and UNLV.

Clarke can sign a letter of intent Wednesday, the first day of the signing period, but the letter is contingent on her completing her associate of arts degree.

Most track and field insiders had expected Clarke to go to UCLA because of her friendship with former Bruin Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the world record-holder in the heptathlon and the 1988 Olympic champion in that event and the long jump.

“UCLA offered me a partial scholarship, but everyone else offered me a full one,” Clarke said. “I chose USC because I like (assistant coach) Mike Bailey, because I want to stay close to home and because I think it would be good for me to graduate from a school like USC.”

Clarke, a 1989 graduate of El Camino Real High, is undefeated in the heptathlon, which includes the 100-meter low hurdles, high jump, shotput and 200 on the first day, and the long jump, javelin and 800 on the second day.

Not only has she won all six heptathlons she has entered, she has improved her score each time.

After scoring 4,366 points in the summer of 1989, the 5-foot-11, 145-pound Clarke improved to 5,098 points as a freshman at Valley in 1990. She won the Southern California, state, and TAC junior championships as well as the USA-Canada-Japan junior meet.

She improved her best to 5,127 points at Mt. San Antonio College on Wednesday when she won the Southern California title.

“I want to compete until at least the 1996 season,” Clarke said. “Mike (Bailey) thinks he can get me to the Olympics and that is a big goal of mine.”