2024 NewsTribune Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year

Growing up, Princeton senior Payne Miller heard stories about his father, Paul’s, success as a college football player and a shot putter who competed in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.

His dad later coached both sports.

“I got to see all that, and it did interest me,” Payne Miller said. “Football is my No. 1 passion. That’s where I live and die, but track is one of those things I picked up because it was something my dad excelled in, and hearing the stories of his escapades, I wanted to do it myself.

“My dad has truly been an inspiration to me.”

His dad was more than an inspiration to Payne Miller as he’s been helping him throughout his careers in both sports, designing weight lifting programs, giving pointers on technique and offering support.

“He’s been there no matter what through every step, pushing me, showing me how to be better, showing me the correct techniques, dragging me out of the slums that I put myself in when I don’t feel like I’m doing good enough,” Payne Miller said. “He’s there to prod me to do better and to remind me there are so many times you could have a bad day, but it’s about wiping the slate, coming back and continuing to do it.”

On the football field, that’s helped Payne Miller become a standout two-way lineman who helped the Tigers to multiple conference championships and quarterfinal appearances and earned a scholarship to play at Western Illinois University.

In track and field, he became a multiple state medalist.

This spring, he capped his track and field career by placing third in the Class 2A shot put and also qualifying for the state meet in the discus.

Miller had the area’s best shot put throw this season at 17.28 meters and ranked second – behind teammate Ian Morris – in the discus with a toss of 49.83.

He won the shot put at the Three Rivers Conference Meet and won both throwing events at the Class 2A Galesburg Sectional.

Miller was named Princeton’s MVP after scoring the most points for the Tigers this season.

For all he accomplished this season, Miller is the 2024 NewsTribune Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

“It was kind of slow in the beginning or so it felt because I didn’t start PRing like I did in previous years,” Miller said. “I started kind of jumping in the middle of the year. This year it was kind of gradual. Sometimes I had to take some steps back to truly move forward and feel more comfortable in the ring. I would say I peaked at the right time. At state I threw my season’s best, which I was happy to do. It was a slow climb but a climb none the less, and I came out and threw at the perfect time.”

Miller has always been a standout in the shot put in large part because of his strength and technique.

“He’s the strongest high school kid I’ve ever been around, for sure,” Princeton coach Dan Foes said. “He is kind of a marvel in the weight room. He is just a really, really strong kid. He’s mastered the rotational technique. The rotational, one thing that’s different than the glide is it can be a little bit of a crapshoot from time to time because there’s more room for error within it, and the glide is a little bit more consistent, but when the rotational comes together you can really pop a pretty big throw, and he’s done that several times for us throughout his career.”

This spring, with classmate Bennett Williams out because of an injury after earning a state medal in the discus last year, the Tigers needed someone to fill that spot, and Miller stepped up.

“He really came to life in the discus,” Foes said. “He’s always been able to throw it. He’s always had a little more interest in the shot put. With Bennett’s injury, he knew there was another spot, and somebody had to step up, and he took that challenge on and did a great job for us.

“We’ve watched him for the last several years, and we told him he has the capabilities because we’ve seen him do some amazing things in practice. I think there was a little more focus there on the discus this year. He took to it much better. It was nice to see this year that door open up for him and see him meet that capability.”

What drove Miller to all his success was the constant drive to do better.

While happy with his achievements, Miller also will point out that he fell short of his goals to win a shot put state title, break Greg Groat’s school record and become Princeton’s first 60-foot shot put thrower.

“One thing about Payne is he’s honestly never satisfied with the distances,” Foes said. “He always wants more, and I appreciate that competitiveness in him. He’ll go out there and have a great throw and we’d be happy with the throw, and he wants more all the time. I think that’s going to sustain him through his career going to Western to play football.”

Miller’s attitude is one that permeated through a Princeton throwing group that sent five throwers to state – boys and girls – over the past two seasons and brought home five medals.

“We’ve had such a competitive field of throwers,” Foes said. “They’re all very competitive, and they just want that next level. They’ll be satisfied for a couple minutes with a really good throw, but then they always want the next one. We were blessed to have kids like that all in one group. Payne is one of the leaders of that. I’m super proud of him.”

With his senior year over, Miller’s focus shifts to his college football career, but he said he’ll miss track and field.

“I love football,” Miller said. “You meet great people. You bleed, sweat and sometimes cry with some of those kids in football. It’s a very tough sport. It’s rigorous. You’re constantly training. It all relies on a giant group. When you come out here [for track], it’s a lot more relaxing for the most part. We have a flow about us that allows us to laugh, and when we’re laughing that’s normally when we throw our farthest. I think next year around this time, while I’ll be enjoying college and doing what I love, I definitely will miss my teammates and my coaches.”