Payne Named SLC Female Athlete of the Year
5/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Complete All-Southland Conference Teams
FRISCO, Texas -- After breaking her own collegiate record and winning the women's pole vault title last week at the 2015 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Stephen F. Austin's Demi Payne has been named the SLC Female Athlete of the Year, the league office announced on Thursday afternoon. Payne was also named the SLC Outstanding Field Performer and the Newcomer of the Year for her performance in Hammond, Louisiana on Friday.
A junior transfer from New Braunfels, Payne increased her own collegiate outdoor record by two inches, jumping 15-5.5 (4.71m) in the women's pole vault final. She needed just one jump to break the SLC meet record and win her second conference title of the year, clearing 13-11.25 (4.25m) on her first attempt. Payne then proceeded to make history with her fifth new collegiate record of 2015 and the best jump in the world this season.
Payne, who was named the SLC's outstanding field performer at the conclusion of the indoor conference meet in February, has won 11 titles this year and enters the championship season as one of the favorites to take home an NCAA individual title in June. This season alone she as posted four of the top five outdoor vaults in collegiate history.
Head coach Phil Olson was also honored on Thursday with the release of the individual award winners and all-conference selections, being named the SLC Coach of the Year for both the men and women. With the two additional coach of the year accolades, Olson has now been tabbed as the league's top coach 21 times during his 16-year career at SFA. He also swept the men's and women's honors during the indoor season in February.
Olson guided his teams to two more conference championships over the weekend. Both the men and the women completed dramatic comebacks on Sunday to finish the indoor/outdoor team sweep. Since coming to SFA in 2000, Olson has won 30 Southland Conference Championships -- more than any other SLC program during the span.
Along with the major awards, SFA placed 22 events on the all-conference teams. In total, 21 different Lumberjacks/Ladyjacks were given all-conference nods for finishing in the top three in their respective events over the weekend.
The Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks combined to claim eight event champions overall to warrant automatic First Team All-Southland Conference honors. The men's 4x400 meter relay team of Will Gibson, Tedrick Hawkins, Joshua Taylor and My'Lik Kerley won the final event on Sunday with a time of 3:07.82. The women's 4x400 team also took first, clinching the team title for the Ladyjacks with a 3:40.89 mark. Tiffany Williams, Cierra Jefferson, Stephanie White and DeJernel Jordan all earned their spot on the first team squad for their efforts.
Taylor won the men's 400-meter hurdles on Sunday afternoon, breaking his own school record time with a speedy 50.03-second split. Charles Mathenge won the men's 10,000-meter run, clocking in at 30:41.64 and Cody Rhodes used a personal best 7,061 points in the men's decathlon to win his second consecutive SLC title, rounding out the SFA men's champions.
Jordan, who ran the anchor leg in the women's 4x400m, also took home the gold in the 800-meter run after finishing in 2:09.96. Just as she did during the 2015 SLC Indoor Championships, Melai Carter won the women's high jump competition with a top jump of 5-8.5. Payne accounted for the Ladyjacks' fourth event champion and SFA's eighth overall for the week.
Runner-up finishers and second team all-conference selections include: Kerley (400m), Mathenge (5,000m), Colby Mehmen (10,000m), White (400m hurdles), Brittany Innis (3,000m steeplechase), Ashley Gadson (high jump) and Jessica Spelling (discus).
Rounding out the all-conference teams are the third place finishers in their respective events. SFA's third team SLC selections include: Jared Love (100m), Kerry Gleason (110m hurdles), Daven Murphree (pole vault), Hunter Key (decathlon), White (100m hurdles), Jefferson (400m) and Samantha Ottman (10,000m). 
Qualifying SFA student-athletes will now begin preparation for the NCAA preliminary rounds held at the University of Texas starting on May 29.
Women's Individual Award Winners
Athlete of the Year: Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin
Outstanding Field Events: Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin
Outstanding Running Events: Simone Johnson, McNeese State
Newcomer of the Year: Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin
Freshman of the Year: Evelyn Chavez, Lamar
Women's Coach of the Year: Phil Olson, Stephen F. Austin 
Men's Individual Award Winners
Athlete of the Year: Sam Stabler, Lamar
Outstanding Field Events: Emmanuel Williams, Northwestern State
Outstanding Running Events: Sam Stabler, Lamar
Newcomer of the Year: Alex Young, Southeastern Louisiana
Freshman of the Year: Daniel Spickes, Central Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Phil Olson, Stephen F. Austin
SFA First Team All-Southland Conference (event champions)
Joshua Taylor -- 400m hurdles
Charles Mathenge -- 10,000m
Cody Rhodes -- decathlon
Will Gibson, Tedrick Hawkins, Joshua Taylor, My'Lik Kerley -- men's 4x400m relay
DeJernel Jordan -- 800m
Melai Carter -- high jump
Demi Payne -- pole vault
Tiffany Williams, Cierra Jefferson, Stephanie White, DeJernel Jordan -- women's 4x400m relay
SFA Second Team All-Southland Conference (event runner-ups)
My'Lik Kerley -- 400m
Charles Mathenge -- 5,000m
Colby Mehmen -- 10,000m
Stephanie White -- 400m hurdles
Brittany Innis -- 3,000m steeplechase
Ashley Gadson -- high jump
Jessica Spelling -- discus
SFA Third Team All-Soutlhand Conference (third place finishers)
Jared Love -- 100m
Kerry Gleason -- 110m hurdles
Daven Murphree -- pole vault
Hunter Key -- decathlon
Stephanie White -- 100m hurdles
Cierra Jefferson -- 400m
Samantha Ottman -- 10,000m
-SFA-
