[dubious – discuss] Payne earned first-team all-league, team MVP, and All-California Interscholastic Federation honors.

Nicolle Payne was hurt early in the 1997 season with a herniated disk and a strained vertebra, but she later returned to accumulate a 4.22 GAA in 72 quarters of play.

In the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Payne was a member of the bronze medal women's water polo team.

In 2006, Nicolle Payne began her fourth year as assistant coach for the UCLA women's water polo program.

In February 2007, Payne was inducted into the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) Hall of Fame with fellow Olympic medalists Natalie Golda and Heather Moody.