Payne, Ross Earn SLC Weekly Honors
1/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
FRISCO, Texas – For the second week in a row, the Stephen F. Austin track and field program is represented with two athletes for the Southland Conference weekly awards. Senior pole vaulters Demi Payne and Colton Ross have each been named SLC Field Athletes of the Week, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.
Payne had another huge weekend at the New Mexico Lobo Collegiate Open last Saturday, breaking her own NCAA record not once, but twice, en route to her second individual title of the 2015 indoor season. At five different heights, Payne didn’t miss a single time. She cleared 15-3 (4.65m) and then went up and over 15-7 (4.75m) on her final two runs of the day. Those jumps, along with her initial record of 15-2.25 (4.63m) set at Texas A&M on Jan. 17, are the top three vaults in NCAA history.
The SLC accolade is the fifth athlete of the week honor Payne has received over the last two weeks. The U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Payne the National Athlete of the Week in two consecutive weeks, most recently on Tuesday, USA Track and Field honored Payne last Thursday, and Wednesday’s league award is Payne’s second in as many weeks.
In his first competition of the 2015 indoor season, Ross took home the individual pole vault title on the men’s side to complete the pole vault sweep for SFA in Albuquerque last weekend. The reigning SLC indoor champion and two-time All-American surpassed 17-10.50 (5.45m) to lead a stiff 28-man field. The jump puts him eighth on the NCAA men’s indoor list this season.
Payne and Ross will join the complete SFA track and field squad this weekend in Houston for the Howie Ryan Invitational. The two-day meet is set to begin on Friday at 10:00 a.m. Payne will be in action the opening afternoon at 3:00 p.m. while Ross takes to the runway on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
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