Lori Payne is the head coach for both the Saints men's and women's swimming and diving programs.
Payne first joined the University as the head women’s swimming and diving coach May 8, 2014. She took on the head coaching duties for the men's swimming and diving program which begins its inaugural season as a sport at Maryville during the 2015-16 season.
Payne is a coach with 25 years of experience, with success in all age groups. Growing up in the swimming community of Miami, she was a top middle-distance freestyler and went on to be a Division I swimmer at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. Currently, Payne trains and competes as a member of St. Louis Masters, one of the earliest master’s teams in the country.
“We are thrilled to have a quality coach like Lori take over our swimming and diving program,” director of athletics Marcus Manning said. “In Lori, we have found a coach who has worked with swimmers at a variety of different levels. It will be exciting to watch Lori recruit, train and transform our Maryville student-athletes and ultimately build a competitive swimming and diving program.”
“It is exciting to be a part of the Maryville University community,” Payne said. “My goals are to help our student-athletes reach their full swimming potential. We have a young team that will grow, thrive and bring the out the best in each other. My intention is to build the Saints into a competitive, cohesive team that finds success on and off the blocks."
Payne is a certified and recognized ASCA Level 3 United States Master Swimming coach. She has been on deck with Rockwood masters for years and has many swimmers with top ten national times. Payne has assisted with the meet operation for the USMS national championship the past two years. She is past and current chair of the nine-state Breadbasket Zone Swimming region since 2013, past chair of Ozark swimming and is currently president of St. Louis Master Swimming.
Through the years, she has become well informed in the executive end of swimming and has worn many hats. Payne is active within the national development committee which sets standards for the building and growth of the local teams. She also is involved with the USMS Swimming Saves Lives program and the USA Swimming Make a Splash program that teaches students of all ages to swim and overcome their fear of water.
Payne attended the University of North Carolina from 1977-1980. She received her bachelor of science in sports management from Fontbonne University in 2007.
