The University of Mary Marauders Hall of Fame
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Tiffany (Johnson) Payne left an indelible mark on a rising University of Mary women’s track & field program as the first Marauders national champion. Not only was she the first national champion for a program that would soon regularly churn out champions, Payne was the first to win a national title for UMary in any sport.
A 1990 graduate of Rapid City Stevens High School in South Dakota, Payne arrived at the University of Mary that fall and immediately stood out. The freshman thrower quickly earned a spot as one of 16 Marauders sent to compete at the 1991 NAIA indoor national track & field championships in Kansas City. Letting fly a school-record mark of 45-3 in the shot put, Payne claimed the title of NAIA Women’s National Indoor Shot Put Champion.
Payne continued her string freshman season by earning conference and district titles during the outdoor season before claiming All-American honors. She would return to the NAIA championships as a sophomore in 1992 and place 4th in the nation indoors to win All-American recognition for a third time.
The daughter of Ray and Pat Johnson, Tiffany graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wyoming. A resident of Bar Nunn, WY, she works campus security for the Natrona County School District #1 in Casper, WY. Tiffany and her husband Jerry are the parents of Tracy and Lela.
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