Mojave student-athlete is headed for Notre Dame

Tricia Floyd isn't perfect. She did get two B's in geometry her freshman year at Mojave High School. But other than that, the senior has been as close to perfect as a student-athlete can be.

Floyd, who has earned all A's since her freshman year, is slated to graduate as Mojave's valedictorian with a weighted 4.654 grade-point average, 3.954 unweighted GPA.

Floyd, who is vice-president of the National Honor Society, is also very active in community service, volunteering her time to several different charitable organizations, including the Candlelighters, the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada and the Special Olympics. Floyd's younger brother, Timmy, has Down syndrome.

Floyd also excels in track and field. She placed third in the state in the 100 meter dash last year (12.47 seconds) and finished fourth in the state in the 400 meter dash (58.78) as she helped lead Mojave to the state track championship.

Floyd, who may have developed her speed growing up with six sisters and three brothers, was recently rewarded for her efforts when she signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Notre Dame. The scholarship, which is worth $120,000, is for both athletics and academics.

Floyd, who aspires to be an optometrist, was also recruited heavily by BYU and UNLV.

"I liked how they treated the student-athletes (at Notre Dame)," Floyd said. "When I went on the recruiting trip and met the athletes on the team, I thought I would get along with them and fit in. I also (chose Notre Dame) because of how prestigious they are for education. Without academics, you can't go anywhere."

Floyd said former Mojave coach Sam Germany was instrumental in attracting the attention of the Fighting Irish.

"I do want to thank coach Sam Germany for everything he's done," she said. "He's really a mentor and a father figure."

Germany, who retired after guiding both the Mojave boys and girls track teams to the state title last year, also had high praise for Floyd.

"She's just a flat-out good leader out there. She's a good example of what an athlete should be if they want to become a champion," he said. "She's going to be a very, very successful young lady. Mojave High School did a great job cultivating this young lady. I feel proud of her and Mojave can be proud of her, too.

"To see her get the chance to attend a major Division I university is like a dream come true. I've coached a lot of athletes in my time, world-class athletes, and she has just been one of the best to work with in my career. She's an absolute doll."

Germany expects Floyd to continue to excel, on and off the track, at Notre Dame.

"She's very, very team-oriented and she can come in and impact your program immediately," he said. "She can score for Notre Dame and she can handle the curriculum there. You won't have to worry about her being eligible.

"She's a very, very successful kid academically and that carries over to track and field also."

Floyd has run track at Mojave all four years. As a sophomore, she helped the Rattlers win a state title and set a state record in the 4 X 200 meter relay. Last year, Floyd helped lead Mojave to first place in the 4 X 100 relay (47.01 seconds) at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays, one of the top prep track meets in the country.

"She was one of the main reasons the team was able to run that fast," Germany said. "She really gets up for the big meets. When it comes time to get the job done, she's the girl to get it done for you. She's a very hard trainer."

At press time, Floyd had the third-fastest time in Southern Nevada in both the 200 (26.3) and 400 meter dashes (1:00.4) and was fourth in the 100 (12.4), which she ran in 11.9 seconds last year. She also helped the Rattlers post the fastest times in the area in the 400 relay (49.6) and the 800 relay (1:42.8).

"I just want to get my times down and medal at state," Floyd said. "Right now I'm kind of juggling what (events) I'll be running because our numbers are so few.

"I want to go to state in the 400 and 100 and, if I get dropped in a relay, I'd like to go in the 200. I'd like to go in all three if I could. There's a lot of competition, but if I really practice and stay focused, I like my chances."

Floyd said she's trying to juggle her events so that she doesn't have to run all four of her races in a row, with only a short break for the mile in between.

"It's affecting my individual events," she said. "I'm not getting enough rest in between. I think I could do a lot better."

Don't get Floyd wrong, though. She's all about the team.

"Truthfully, I would like to win an individual event," she said. "But I'm just as happy when we win something together because I contributed and it shows the work I've done."