Payton Richards enters her first season as the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach for the Lady Panthers during the 2025-26 season.
Richards played five seasons for the Lady Panthers and was a three-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference performer. She was a key member of Drury’s 32-0 team in 2019-20 that ended the season ranked number one nationally, and was a starter on the Lady Panthers National Runner-Up team in 2020-21 that finished the year 24-2. Playing for head coaches Molly Miller and Amy Eagan, the Lady Panthers compiled a 154-11 record in the five seasons Richards played for Drury. She appeared in four national tournaments, and two Final Fours, with the 2020 NCAA-II Tournament canceled due to COVID-19.
Richards currently ranks 12th on Drury’s all-time scoring list with 1,261 career points. She is also second all-time in three-pointers made (262), seventh in assists (382), and sixth in steals (224).
After completing graduate school at Drury, Richards served on the coaching staff at Nixa High School in 2023-24 and then worked as an assistant at Clarke University in the NAIA the following year.
Originally from West Plains, Missouri, Richards was an All-State selection twice and a four-time All-Ozark Conference performer. She graduated from Drury Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Biology, and she earned a Master’s degree from DU in Communication & Organizational Leadership.
