Malcolm Watts was named the head coach of the Claflin University men’s and women’s track & field/cross country programs in the fall of 2023 and the program has made tremendous strides ever since.
It didn’t take long for Watts to make his mark at Claflin University with each of the programs making strides towards success. The most notable success came when the Panthers’ men’s indoor track & field team repeated as the 2024 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men’s Indoor Track & Field champions and finished as runners-up for the 2024 CIAA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship as well. Under Watts’ guidance, the Panthers also saw individual success with Claflin junior Jocolbi Morgan competing in the 2024 NCAA Division II Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Championship Meet along with sophomore Jaevon Riley and the Panthers’ 4x400m relay team qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet. For his efforts, Watts was named the 2024 CIAA Men’s Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year.
The team’s success should be no surprise as Watts brought a wealth of experience to the Claflin University program. Prior to taking the reins at Claflin, Watts spent over 15 years as an associate head coach at NCAA Division I Norfolk State University. During his time with the Spartans, he helped lead the program into becoming one of the top track & field programs on the east coast. Watts assisted in guiding several Spartans to All-American status and breaking school records. The accolades include Trequan Barnes (400m), Martha Bissah (800m) and Kiara Grant.
In his most recent stint with the Spartans, Watts has been instrumental in the development of current athletes Trequan Barnes, Martha Bissah and Kiara Grant into All-America performers. Barnes set a new school indoor 400-meter record as a sophomore in 2019 en route to second-team All-America accolades. Bissah, a middle-distance runner, has become the first Spartan female to ever qualify for four separate NCAA Division I Championship meets. She has earned two first-team All-America honors and one second-team mention in the 800 meters, then also earned All-America honors a fourth time during the 2020 indoor season despite the NCAA Championships being canceled due to COVID-19.
Grant earned a pair of All-America honors during her stellar sophomore campaign in 2018-19. She was a second-team All-American in the 60 meters before earning first-team honors after setting a new school record in the 100 meters during outdoor season. She was a two-time indoor All-American in 2020 as well, qualifying in both the 60 and 200-meter events before the championships were canceled due to the pandemic.
With Grant and Bissah leading the way, the Spartans had five runners qualify for a total of seven events for the 2019 NCAA East Preliminary Round. The same month, Watts was selected the Southeast Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Watts rejoined the NSU track and field program in 2013 after a three-year stint as head track coach at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach. At Ocean Lakes, he helped the Dolphins win three Beach District team titles. He had 12 of his athletes qualify for Virginia state track meets and his athletes set 12 new school records.
In his prior stint coaching the NSU men (2005-10), Watts contributed to the Spartans’ streak of six straight MEAC indoor and outdoor championship sweeps. He was also instrumental in the development of numerous athletes who achieved success nationally.
From 2007-10, Watts helped more than a dozen NSU athletes qualify for the NCAA East Regional. They included Marlon Woods, a 2009 NCAA indoor long jump All-American who was also named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year in 2008; Corey Vinston, who set the school indoor long jump record and also earned All-America honors with Woods in the long jump in 2009; Sean Holston, who earned indoor All-America honors in the 200 meters in 2010; and Raphael Hall, who earned outdoor all-America recognition in the high jump in 2010.
Watts has coached NSU athletes who have set indoor school records in the 60 meters (Grant), 300 meters (Troy Wilkerson, then Holston), 400 meters (Barnes, Malika Pride), 500 meters (Pride), 800, mile and 3,000m (all Bissah), 4x400 relay (Pride, Bissah, Grant, Kara Grant), long jump (Vinston) and high jump (Woods). He has also worked with outdoor school record holders in the decathlon (Meredith Whitties), women’s 100 (Grant), 800 (Bissah), 1,500 (Bissah) and sprint medley relay (Bissah, Pride, Kiara Grant, DaJah Parker-Love). In addition, sprinter Derrick Baker set the MEAC Indoor Championship record in the 60-meter dash in 2006.
Watts was an assistant women’s track coach at NSU from 1999-2001. During that time, he helped head coach LaVerne Sweat lead the Spartan women to their first-ever MEAC outdoor championship, in 2001. He also helped tutor NSU’s first Division I All-American female, sprinter Debbie Dunn, in 2000.
Watts was a standout sprinter himself for the Spartans from 1994-98. He ran the first leg on NSU’s first Division I All-American relay team, the 4x100 team in 1998. He also ran on the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams that became the first HBCU squads to win their respective Championship of America races at the prestigious Penn Relays in 1996. Both of those relay squads still own the school records in their respective events.
Watts was also a team captain of the Spartans in 1997 and 1998.
A native of Georgetown, Guyana, Watts represented his country in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in the 100 meters. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from NSU in 1998.
