Clifford, originally from White Rock, British Columbia
(Canada), racked up awards in the SIAC, before coming to FAMU. He was the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference Eastern Division athlete of the year (2013), winning both the
steeple chase and the 1500m run in the SIAC championships. For his accomplishments,
he was awarded Benedict College’s MVP and athlete of the year awards for 2013.
Prior to enrolling at Benedict, Clifford chalked up a number of impressive achievements. He took eighth place at the World Youth Championships in Lille Metropole, France, in the Steeple Chase (2011). He placed second at the Canadian Junior Championships in the Steeple Chase (2011). Currently, he continues to hold the number two ranking in the country of Canada
Clifford also participated in the Pan American championships
in Medellin, Columbia, where he took fourth place in the Steeple chase earlier
this year. He runs a sub-four minute
1500m, with a personal best of 3:54. He
is also a middle distance runner, finishing 800m in 1:53.09.
Angel is very proud of this new addition and feels Clifford
will bolster the FAMU lineup.
“I am very excited for the future of track and field at FAMU…I
believe that Deion will take our distance program to a new level. I see him being our first distance runner to
qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships in the
3k Steeple chase,” Angel said.