Aareon Payne Class: Senior Hometown: Cleveland Heights, Ohio High School: Beaumont School Height: 5-6 Event: Sprints Birthdate: 09/03/1990

THIS YEAR: Senior Aareon Payne bounced back from an injury-plagued sophomore season to have an outstanding third season at USC to finish with All-America honors in the 200m dash and the 4x100m. She enters the season as one of the top sprinters on the West Coast. Payne ranks fifth on USC's all-time 200m list.

2011: Began the season strong and never slowed down, posting a then legal PR of 23.44 in winning the 200m dash at the Trojan Invitational on March 19. She then bettered her 200m time to win the Trojan Quad-Meet on April 2 with a time of 23.09 to move into seventh-place on USC's all-time list. She then topped that with a winning time and PR of 22.83 at Mt. SAC on April 16 to move into fifth-place on USC's all-time 200m list. Payne won the 200m with a time of 23.14 at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 1...also placed second in the 100m dash with a PR of 11.45 and ran the second leg for the winning 4x100m team which had a time of 43.96. She placed fourth in the 200m (23.12), sixth in the 100m (11.66) and ran the second leg in USC's winning 4x100m relay which ran 43.84 at the Pac-10 Championships in Tucson, Ariz. Was fifth with a time of 23.04 in the 200m race and USC's 4x100m relay team placed fifth with a time of 44.07 at the NCAA Preliminary Rounds in Eugene, Ore. to advance to the NCAA Championships. The 4x100m relay team of Loudia Laarman, Payne, Jenna Puterbaugh and Jessica Davis placed third with a season-best time of 43.42 at the NCAA Championships...the time was the third-fastest ever at the NCAA finals and the fourth-fastest all-time by a Trojan quartet...Payne then came back to match her PR with a time of 22.83 in the 200m finals to place fifth, .003 seconds out of fourth place. In August, Payne competed for the USA team at at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China and advanced to the semifinals in the 200m and ran a leg on the 4x100m in the preliminary rounds.

2010: Ran anchor on USC's 4x100m relay team which placed 14th in the semifinals at the NCAAs with a time of 44.82 and did not advance to the finals. Payne reached the finals of the 200m dash at the Pac-10s with a time of 24.01, but could not start in the finals due to a hamstring injury. Ran anchor for the 4x100m relay team which placed second with a time of 44.44. The 4x100m relay had a season-best time of 44.40 in winning at the Dual Meet.

2009: Had a season-best 100m time of 11.48 while placing second at the USC-UCLA Dual meet on May 2. Also won the 200m race at the Dual Meet with a wind-aided season best of 23.36 and ran third leg for the Trojans' winning 4x100m relay team. Placed sixth in the 100m (11.59), fourth in the 200m (23.62) and second as the anchor of USC's 4x100m relay at the Pac-10s. Ran the 200m at the West Regional and took second-place with a then legal PR of 23.47. Anchored USC's 4x100m relay team which came in third with a time of 44.81.

HIGH SCHOOL: Payne attended Ellet High and Beaumont School For Girls in Cleveland Heights, Ohio where she was a four-time indoor state champion in the 200m, thee-time outdoor 200m champ and two-time 100m winner. She was also a three-time indoor 60m sprint champion. She helped lead Beaumont HS to consecutive state titles in her junior and senior seasons. She had PRs of 11.48 in the 100m, 23.65 in the 200m and 55.88 in the 400m.

PERSONAL: Aareon was born on Sept. 3, 1990 in Kansas City, Mo...Lists her favorite actor as Will Smith, favorite musician as Corinne Bailey-Rae and favorite movie as V for Vendetta...Loves animals and would like to become a veterinarian and has been accepted into three different veterinary programs/surgical internships......Likes to read and writer in her spare time...Is a Neuroscience major at USC.

CAREER BESTS: 100m -- 11.45 200m -- 22.83