Staten Island, NY – Wagner College head softball coach Glen Payne, the winningest coach in program history and lifelong Staten Island resident, has announced his retirement after 20 seasons at the helm of the Seahawk program, athletic director Walt Hameline has announced.
 
During his two-decade career on Grymes Hill, Payne amassed 371 victories, guided a program that graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes, while mentoring 39 student-athletes who went on to earn All-Northeast Conference (NEC) honors, including four NEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year, a two-time NEC Player of the Year, two Rookies of the Year, and one Most Improved Player Award winner.
 
A national search for his successor will begin immediately.
 
"Glen represents everything that is good, just and right about college athletics," said Hameline. "He's a Staten Island treasure and an iconic athletic figure and someone who's touched countless lives during his impactful career. He was an accomplished coach for many years prior to his tenure at Wagner and over these last two decades, recruited and led tremendous young women - every single one of whom earned their degree.
 
"His loyalty, commitment and dedication to Wagner College, our athletic department, and Staten Island athletics, has been unmatched and unwavering," Hameline continued. "We salute Glen and wish him all of the best in his retirement. I'm proud of my long association with him and it continues to be my honor to count Glen Payne as a friend."
 
Payne took over as head coach in 1996 after winning nearly 100 games during a five-year stint at C.W. Post College (now LIU Post) in Brookville, NY, highlighted by a 23-10 mark and an ECAC Division II South Championship in 1986. From 2005 to 2008, the Seahawks had a remarkable run of success that included three 30-plus winning seasons and top-four NEC finishes in each of those years.
 
His 2005 squad went 30-18 while finishing third in the NEC with a 14-6 mark. The 2006 Seahawks then went 35-20, establishing a school-record for victories in a season, in addition to logging a 15-5 NEC mark and a third-place finish. The Green & White followed with a 34-19 mark in 2007, with a 13-5 league record, while tying for second place, before going 27-22 (10-8 NEC) during a fourth-place finish in 2008.
 
Under Payne's skillful guidance and and direction, the program has produced a two-time NEC Player of the Year (Andrea Lazzari 2008, 2009), two Rookie of the Year Award recipients (Katie Stevens, 2005 and Lazzari, 2006), both of whom attended the same high school (Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada), as well as one NEC Most Improved Award recipient (Kelsey Parker, 2014).
 
Lazzari's career was capped when she was named to the ESPN the Magazine/ CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team - University Division, garnering this honor after completing a spectacular softball season while maintaining a 3.83 grade point average as a dual major in Sociology and Education.
 
The four NEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year, under Payne, are Joy Gallagher in 2006, Katie Stevens in 2007, Lazzari in 2009 and Kelsey Parker in 2014.
 
"I've discussed this with Walt (Hameline) for the past several weeks and I just feel that the time is right to step down," Payne said.  "I'm 66, I'm here 20 years, so I've been here nearly one-third of my life. Walt and I helped grow the program to a whole different level and we've done a lot of good things with the program. I've been fortunate to have coached a number of tremendous people, just great student-athletes and made a ton of lifelong friends along the way.
 
"We've gone from having a field with a clam shell backstop and no outfield wall to a modernized facility that our current and former players can call their home," he added. "We've gone from a program that played a schedule of all local teams to one that now goes out, travels all across the country, and plays against some of the best teams, including some who are in the Top 25.

"More than anything, we've developed a program that is respected - for how we handle ourselves, on and off the field, respected by the fact that over a 20-year period our kids, all of them, not some of them, graduated - only two of whom did not graduate in four years."
 
During his long and proud tenure, Payne also helped develop five NEC All-Tournament Team members (Lazzari [2006, 2007], Ami Liwicki [2007], Morgan Miller [2007] and Kate Eshelman [2007], groomed three National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) All-Region selections, two first team (Christy Sykora [2005] and Andrea Lazzari ]2009] and one second-team choice (Lazzari [2008]).
 
In 2008, the Seahawks were among an elite group of 29 programs recognized by the NCAA for its exceptional graduation and academic performance record after ranking in the top 10 percent of all softball teams in the nation in the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores.
 
Wagner also claimed the 2013-2014 NEC Team Sportsmanship Award, bestowed annually to the team who, in the opinion of its peers, most closely demonstrates good sportsmanship based on the NEC Principles of Sportsmanship and Standards of Conduct.
 
Payne, who has won more than 450 games in his combined tenure at Wagner and C.W. Post, was employed by Pepsi-Cola before embarking on a more than two-decade stint with the New York City Department of Sanitation, prior to becoming Wagner's first full-time softball coach in the summer of 2001.

He has been involved in the game at the college, high school and grassroots level for more than 40 years and is the proprietor of Staten Island's famous softball complex, which houses five well-groomed softball and baseball fields, including lights and a practice hitting area. In April, 2005 he was recognized by the Staten Island CYO organization for his community service efforts.
 
Payne has continuously employed a widespread geographical approach to recruiting, attracting talent from across the country, ranging from Hawaii, California, Nevada, Texas, Arizona and Illinois, Vancouver, BC in addition to the Northeast Region.
 
Currently, Payne is serving in his 34th year as New York City Commissioner of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). He has been on the legislative end of the ASA, has chaired equipment standards as well as the National Umpire Committee and a member of the insurance committee for ASA. Payne is on the National Modified Pitch Rules, National Playing Rule, and NCAA Division I Regional Advisory Committees. He also is a Pitching instructor and holds clinics here on Staten Island.
 
A native of Stapleton, Staten Island, Payne was a power-hitting, slick-fielding infielder on New Dorp High School's 1969 city championship team and later played at the Staten Island Community College (now College of Staten Island [CSI]). He also competed in various baseball and modified fast pitch softball leagues on Staten Island before moving on to coach women's major fast pitch softball.

Payne, and his wife of 42 years, Marie who have lived in the Westerleigh section of the Island since 1973, is the patriarch of a family that includes five children and six grandchildren, with a seventh on the way. A graduate of Curtis High School and CSI, Marie was a top softball player for the Staten Island Saints of the Staten Island Women's Fast-Pitch Softball League.
 
Their daughter Shannon was a Hall of Fame pitcher at LIU Brooklyn and currently serves as an assistant coach at Moore Catholic High School under head coach Kevin Payne, their youngsest son, who competed on the Wagner College baseball team. Another daughter, Kelly, was a two-time Staten Island Advance All-Star softball player at Port Richmond High School before going on to an outstanding career at CSI.









































Wagner College Softball Student-Athlete Academic Accomplishments Under Glen Payne

NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient
2005-2006 - Joy Gallagher (Women's Basketball & Softball)

Wagner's NEC Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
Spring 2014 - Kelsey Parker
Spring 2009 - Andrea Lazzari
Spring 2007 - Katie Stevens
Spring 2006 - Joy Gallagher
 
NEC SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year
Joy Gallagher (Women's Basketball & Softball) - 2006 NEC SAAC Student-Athlete Of The Year

ESPN The Magazine (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans / All-District Recipients
2014-2015 - Kelsey Parker - First Team All-District 1 (Link)
2009-2010 - Kate Eshelman - First Team All-District 1
2008-2009 - Andrea Lazzari - First Team All-American / First Team All-District 1
2008-2009 - Kate Eshelman - Second Team All-District 1
2007-2008 - Andrea Lazzari - First Team All-District 1
2007-2008 - Katie Stevens - First Team All-District 1
2006-2007 - Joy Gallagher - Second Team All-District 1
2006-2007 - Katie Stevens - Second Team All-District 1
2005-2006 - Joy Gallagher - Second Team All-American / First Team All-District 1
2005-2006 - Margaret Gallia - Second Team All-District 1