Payne Named USTFCCCA Athlete of the Week
1/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
USTFCCCA Release
NEW ORLEANS, La. - For the second week in a row, Stephen F. Austin's Demi Payne has been named the Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the organization announced on Tuesday morning.
One week after posting the best women's indoor pole vault mark in NCAA history, Payne demolished her own record not once, but twice, on Saturday afternoon at the University of New Mexico Lobo Collegiate Open. She surpassed 4.65m (15-3) on her first attempt and then cleared 4.75m (15-7) on her first run before hanging it up for the day.
At five different heights, Payne didn't miss a single time as she left the rest of the 31-woman field in the dust. She won the event by more than a foot for her second consecutive individual crown of the 2015 indoor season. The New Braunfels native has been the top collegiate performer in all three of her meets this year.
Payne, who broke the NCAA record with a 4.63m (15-2.25) leap on Jan. 17 at the Texas A&M Team Invitational, now owns the top three jumps all-time in the NCAA (15-2.25, 15-3, 15-7).
Payne's impressive performance in the Albuquerque Convention Center puts her tied for No. 3 on the all-time U.S. women's indoor performers list and tied for 11th on the all-time world performers list. No other American woman has ever jumped higher in the month of January.
Payne will look to raise the bar when the SFA pole vault crew joins the rest of the track and field squad at the Howie Ryan Invitational this weekend in Houston. The two-day meet is set to begin on Friday at 10:00 a.m. while Payne will be in action starting at 3:00 p.m.
-SFA-
