CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Indoor:

All-time PSU rankings:

- Ranks 5th all time in the 600 meters - 1:23.65 - UW Indoor Preview (1/18/20)
- Part of 8th-ranked Distance Medley Relay team - 10:26.93 - Big Sky Indoor Championships (2/28/20)
 

PERSONAL BESTS:

Cross Country:

8,000m - 33:28.0 - Charles Bowles Invitational (9/29/18)

Indoor:

200m - 23.19 - Bronco Invitational (1/20/18)
400m - 49.97 - Big Sky Indoor Championships (2/28/20)
600m - 1:23.65 - UW Indoor Preview (1/18/20)
800m - 1:58.58 - Portland Indoor One (1/26/20)

Outdoor:

200m - 23.05 - Prep (PSU Best: 23.57 - Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invite, 3/31/18)
400m - 50.56 - Prep (PSU Best: 51.37 - L&C Spring Break Open, 3/17/18)
800m - 1:57.22 - Linfield Open (5/4/19)
 

2020 INDOOR:

Scored for the Vikings as part of the team’s Distance Medley Relay team that placed eighth at the Big Sky Indoor Championships (2/27-29)...DMR team ran the eighth-best time in school history at the Big Sky meet...Set a new personal best in the 400 meters while finishing in 49.97 seconds in the prelims at the Big Sky meet...Dipped below two minutes in the 800 meters while finishing in 1:59.74 at the Portland Indoor Two (2/8-9)...Set a new personal best in the indoor 800 while finishing in 1:58.58 at the Portland Indoor One (1/25-26)...Moved up to fifth all time in the 600 meters at Portland State while finishing in 1:23.65 at the UW Indoor Preview (1/18)...Opened his season at the Vandal Open and Lauren McCluskey Multi (1/10-11), running the 800 meters in 2:03.16...Also ran a leg on the Vikings’ 4x400-meter relay team that finished in 3:32.03.
 

2019 OUTDOOR:

Knocked close to two full seconds off his personal best from a week ago while finishing in 1:57.22 at the Linfield Open (5/4)...Won his section of the 800 meters while setting a new personal best with his finish in 1:59.14 at the OSU High Performance meet (4/26-27)...Placed ninth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:01.08 at the Jay Hammer Invitational (4/13)...Ran his first 400-meter race of the season at the John Knight Twilight (4/5), finishing in 51.48 seconds...Made his outdoor debut while finishing the 800 meters in 1:59.81 at the L&C Spring Break Open (3/16).
 

2019 INDOOR:

Scored for the Vikings as a member of the distance medley relay team that placed eighth in a time of 10:41.95 at the Big Sky Indoor Championships (2/21-23)...Ran a leg on the Vikings’ 4x400-meter relay team that placed 11th at the Big Sky meet in a time of 3:31.04...Beat his outdoor personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 1:59.26 at the D1 Invitational Team Challenge (2/1).

2018 CROSS COUNTRY:

Ran his first-ever cross country race as a Viking at the Charles Bowles Invitational (9/29), finishing the 8k in 33:28.0.
 

Date	Meet (Distance)	PSU Finish	Overall Finish	Time
9/29	Charles Bowles Invitational (8k)	15th	176th	33:28.0

 

2018 OUTDOOR:

Set a new personal best in prelims of the 800 meters at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships (5/8-11), finishing in 1:59.35...Part of the Vikings’ 4x400-meter relay team that set a seasonal best with its finish in 3:23.46 at the Big Sky meet...Dipped under two minutes in the 800 meters for the first time at the Pacific Twilight Invitational (4/27), where he finished in 1:59.89...Ran the 200 and 400 meters in 24.59 and 51.94 seconds, respectively, at the Pelluer Invitational (4/13-14)...Finished the 200 and 400 meters in 23.57 and 52.31 seconds, respectively, at the Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invite (3/31)...Ran his first 800-meter race at the Willamette Invitational (3/24), finishing in 2:00.64...Made his outdoor debut at the L&C Spring Break Open (3/16-17), competing in the 200 and 400 meters, as well as the 4x400-meter relay...Part of the Vikings’ winning 4x400-meter relay team at the L&C meet.
 

2018 INDOOR:

Set a personal best in the prelims of the 400 meters at the Big Sky Indoor Championships (2/22-24), finishing in 50.25 seconds...Helped the Vikings’ 4x400-meter relay team set a 10-second seasonal best with their finish in 3:23.67 at the Big Sky meet...Shaved more than a second off his personal best in the 400 meters with his finish in 50.40 seconds at the Idaho Duals (2/2)...Set personal bests in the 200 and 400 meters at the Bronco Invitational (1/20), finishing in 23.19 and 51.47 seconds, respectively...Made his PSU debut at the Vandal Invitational and Multi Events (1/13/18), where he ran the 400 meters in 51.69 seconds.
 

MCMINNVILLE HIGH SCHOOL:

Named Most Valuable and Most Dedicated member of his track & field team…Two-time state qualifier in track & field…Also competed with the McMinnville Track Club from 2013-17.
 

PERSONAL/MISCELLANEOUS:

Son of Mark and Christiane Payton…Has a brother, Nicholas Payton, and two sisters, Maya and Danielle Payton…Plans on majoring in physics with a minor in French.