By The Numbers: Demi Payne and Josh Taylor
6/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are just a few short days away and Stephen F. Austin's Demi Payne and Joshua Taylor are ready to compete for a pair of individual national titles. The duo arrived in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday and will take to collegiate track and field's biggest stage at historic Hayward Field when action begins on Wednesday afternoon.
The two elite athletes have had two of the best seasons in program history while making a name for themselves on a national level in the process. Before Payne and Taylor attempt to etch their names in the history books in Track Town USA, let's take a look at their current outdoor campaigns by the numbers.
15-5.5 The Second Best Jump in Outdoor Collegiate History
Payne made breaking collegiate records a trend in 2015, knocking down the nation's top mark a combined five times between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her latest piece of history came at the 2015 Southland Conference Championships in Hammond, Louisiana on May 8, where she flew over 15-5.5 (4.71m) to break her own outdoor collegiate record and claim the SLC crown. The mark currently stands number two on the all-time list.
4 Current World Ranking
Payne has not only exploded onto the national scene in 2015, her name is now known in the track and field community worldwide. Her 15-5.5 (4.71m) mark set at the SLC Championships is currently the fourth highest jump in the world this season. Payne also holds the fifth highest height cleared, claiming a clean jump at 15-3.5 (4.66m) to break the outdoor collegiate record for the first time in the Beijing World Championship Preview Pole Vault competition at the Drake Relays on April 24. She is the only woman with two jumps in the top five in the world this season.
6 Number of 15-Foot Bars Cleared
Up until this season, a 15-foor bar had been conquered only three times (by three different women) on the collegiate women's pole vault scene. This outdoor season alone, Payne has gone up and over a 15-footer six different times -- more than anyone in NCAA history.
12 Individual Titles Won Overall in 2015
Competing against some of the best women's pole vaulters in the world during a grueling 2015 slate, Payne has collected an impressive 12 individual titles combined between the indoor and outdoor seasons. She's riding a hot streak into the NCAA Championships, finishing as the top collegiate performer in seven straight meets dating back to April 2.
 
4 Career Trips to the NCAA Outdoor Championships
Eugene, Oregon could be considered a second home for Taylor for the amount of time he has spent there during his decorated career at SFA. With his qualification into the 2015 NCAA Championships, Taylor has now punched his ticket to the meet four times over his collegiate career. In 2014, he finished seventh in the nation in the 400m hurdles to garner USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors. He also led the 4x400m relay to a 13th place showing last season to collect Second Team All-America status. In 2011 and 2013 he was on the mile relay teams that were given honorable mention accolades at the championship meet.
50.03 School Record Time in the 400-Meter Hurdles
Taylor blazed his way to a Southland Conference individual title in the 400-meter hurdles on May 10 in Hammond, Louisiana, breaking his own school record in a sizzling 50.03 seconds. He holds three school records at SFA overall, guiding his 4x400m relay squads to both the indoor and outdoor program records during his stint as a Lumberjack. His three SLC titles in 2015 (400m hurdles, indoor/outdoor 4x400m) make him a six-time conference champion.
10 Qualifying Position for the NCAA Championships
Taylor was on point at the 2015 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Austin, Texas two weeks ago, finishing second in his quarterfinal heat to earn an automatic berth to this year's championships. His mark of 50.17 seconds was the fifth-fastest time in the west region and is the 10th fastest time produced in regionals from the entire 24-man championship field. Only .50 seconds separates Taylor from the second fastest qualifying time.
0 Times Over 51.57 Seconds in May
Taylor has been red hot during the second half of the season. In his last four races, he has gone under 51 seconds three times, including his school record of 50.03 seconds set at the SLCs. The only time over 51.00 was during the prelims in Hammond, where 51.57 seconds was plenty good to advance to the 400m hurdle final.
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Taylor will represent SFA first this week in Eugene, running in the 400m hurdle semifinals on Wednesday evening at 6:10 p.m. PT. The top eight from the three semifinal heats will advance to the final on Friday starting at 6:00 p.m. PT. Payne will compete for a national title on Thursday when the women's pole vault gets underway at 4:45 p.m. PT. All of the action will be televised on one of the ESPN platforms.
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