Payton Curley Named January's Student-Athlete of the Month
Culver-Stockton College women's basketball player Payton Curley has been named the Primo's Pizza and Subs Student Athlete of the Month for January.
Curley, a senior guard from Salem, Mo. (Salem HS) is a four-year player for the Wildcat basketball team who played 112 career games, starting 59 of those games. Payton was the 25th women's player in school history to join the 1,000-point, eclipsing the magic mark on the final day of the 2019-20 regular season. She ends her career ranked ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,326 career points. In addition to points, Payton is in the top 10 on the school's all-time list for free throws made (289) and 3-point field goals made (117), ranking eighth and ninth, respectively.
In her career, Payton averaged 11.8 points per game, including a career-best 17.5 points her senior season. She scored a career-high 26 points against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Jan. 23, 2021. Payton averaged 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game during her career. This season, Payton averaged 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Payton was named to the Heart of America Athletic Conference All-Conference second team as a junior, and has also been honored as the Heart Player of the Week one time.
Off the court, Payton is pursuing a degree in health science, with a pre-physical therapy discipline, and a minor in business administration. In six completed semesters, Payton has been named to the President's List in two semesters, the Dean's List three semesters, and the honor roll once. Payton was the 2020 Heart of America Athletic Conference recipient of the Emil S. Liston Award, which is awarded to a junior male and female with at least a 3.5 grade point average and is based on scholarship, character and playing ability. In addition, she was named a 2020 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and a 2020 Heart of America Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete. Upon graduation, Payton plans to enroll in graduate school at Missouri State University to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.
Curley is the fifth Primo's Student-Athlete of the Month for the 2020-21 school year, joining Ellie Packer (women's volleyball), who was recognized in September; Connor Perrine (football), who was named in October; Saylor Drawe (women's soccer), who was chosen in November; and Dalton Myers (men's bowling), who was picked for the December honor.