Jordyn Payne didn’t even start running track until she was a sophomore in high school.

Now, the Tulsa Webster High School senior will take her talents to East Central University in Ada.

“My proudest accomplishment would be getting offered my track scholarship from a D-II track school,” Payne said. “Running at the next level was a big goal of mine and something I’ve worked really hard [for].”

This spring, Payne will run the 100m dash, the 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relay and will compete in the long jump. She also cheers at Webster. Track always caught her eye, but several setbacks, including Covid, delayed her start.

“Sophomore year, I got super serious and decided to start training when school started,” Payne said.

But her junior year brought yet another setback to her career. Last year during spring break, Payne fell over a  hurdle at practice and skinned both of her knees “to the meat.”

“It was so bad to the point where I couldn’t walk for days,” Payne said. 

As soon as she could, she started practicing again but was nervous to return. She even still feels some anxiety about going over hurdles, but her faith has allowed her to persevere.

“Something everybody should know about me is that I wouldn’t be anywhere that I am today without my faith in Jesus. He has walked beside me in every journey of my life and fulfilled so many promises and plans He’s made for me,” Payne said.

Webster coach Kenneth Jackson, who was there for the start of Payne’s track career, also played a major role in Payne’s return from injury.

“[Coach Jackson] took the time out of his personal life to train me and be a big male role model in my life. He bought me my first pair of actual spikes. He even made sure they were my favorite color, helped me with school and my teachers and was also there for me emotionally when I fell at state last year,” Payne said. “He’s committed to his athletes if you’re committed to your sport and has been the best coach that me and my teammates could ask for.”

In her first race of her junior year, weeks after enduring a serious injury, Payne left with two gold medals and three overall.

“When I ran at the first meet, I honestly completely forgot about my knees in the moment,” Payne said. “The feeling of running through the hurdles and winning my first first-place medal was one of the best feelings in the world.”