Melinda Clayton Hatfield was an all-around standout post player on four Golden Eaglette teams which dominated the Ohio Valley Conference during her career from 1986 through 1990. A two-time All-American, she helped lead the Eaglettes to OVC championships in 1988, 1989, and 1990, and appearances in the NCAA tournament all three seasons. With Clayton in the lineup, the Golden Eaglettes were a fixture in the nation’s Top 25 rankings all three seasons.

A four-year starter under coach Bill Worrell, Clayton helped lead Tech to a 91-30 win-loss record during her four seasons. She was a three-time all-OVC selection and was named to the OVC all-tournament team all four years. She was voted the Most Valuable Player of the OVC Tournament twice. She was also named twice to the Tennessee Tech Classic all-tournament team, and added all-tournament, and added all-tournament laurels at the San Diego Classic and the Mid-America Classic.

After being named to the OVC all-rookie team as a freshman in 1987, she began accumulating her incredible string of individual honors in 1988 while playing a vital role in the team’s honors and titles. She was named Tech’s Most Valuable Player in 1988.

With over 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, she finished her career ranked fifth in scoring (1,712), third in rebounds (1,050), first in blocked shots (194), 10^th in steals (129), 11^th in assists (239), and seventh in field goal percentage (.560).

All of those numbers only begin to point out how valuable she was as a skilled passer and one of the top defensive players in school history. According to Worrel, Clayton not only handled pressure as well as any guard, she passed the ball inbounds for four year against some of the best teams in the country.

Following her graduation in 1990 with a degree in accounting, she spent one season playing professional basketball in Luxembourg. She worked five years as an auditor for an accounting firm, and spent time as an accountant for the Metropolitan Development and Housing agency. She has also worked as a volunteer assistant with the Special Olympics program in Nashville.