Augsburg University Athletics

Slack Payne shined in two sports, softball and tennis, as an Augsburg student-athlete. In two seasons of softball, Payne earned All-MIAC honors both years as an outfielder, earning All-West Region first-team honors in her senior season. She hit .353 in 1990 with a .500 slugging percentage and 15 RBI, while hitting .287 with 20 runs scored in 1991, playing on teams that went 47-22 in her two seasons. She was also part of a rare triple play in a 1991 game. She also played two seasons of tennis (1988, 1989) at Augsburg as a No. 3 singles competitor. Also at Augsburg, she was a resident assistant, member of Link and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and did a study abroad program in Norway. She earned her degree with a Norwegian major from Augsburg in 1991. She moved to Charlotte, N.C., in 1992, where she worked as a preschool teacher for six years, worked for the state Department of Social Services and as a social worker for children in foster care. She earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina in 2000. She has also remained active as a softball and tennis player, and has coached youth sports. Slack Payne and her husband, George, live in Charlotte with their three children, Chloe, Sarah and Max.