Athlete of the Week

Ryan Floyd, BK '03 Men's lacrosse Major: Probably history or political science Favorite movie: Clerks. "Dollar for dollar the best movie ever made." Favorite book: Goethe's Faust Part I Favorite coach: Vince Lombardi Superstition: "Never send two e-mails in one day to a potential love interest." Favorite band to listen to on the street: The Meters

Floyd has come a long way since his days of running around the backyard with a mini lacrosse stick in hand. On Sat., Apr. 8, he notched 11 points on six goals and five assists as Yale halted a three-game losing streak and defeated Rutgers, 19-16.

Floyd's stunning performance last weekend is only one of many milestones that have distinguished his long—and often rocky—lacrosse career. For years, a game against McDonough, his high school, had meant a nearly guaranteed win. "McDonough hadn't won a championship since 1939," Floyd said. In the 1980s, the school won only three games and lost more than 110. During Floyd's freshman season at the McDonough School, the varsity squad finished a dismal 0-11. But Floyd's class was particularly talented, and by his sophomore season things began to turn around. "It was no longer a given to beat McDonough," he recalled. During his senior year, the squad lost only two games and finished first in one of the toughest leagues in the country.

After helping to rebuild his high school's program, Floyd was recruited by a number of schools. Perennial powerhouse Johns Hopkins was especially persistent, but for Floyd, Yale had more to offer. "Yale had the best mix of lacrosse, academics, and social life," he said. Ironically, the quality of Hopkins' program affected his decision not to go there—Hopkins is traditionally one of the top teams in the country, but Yale offered him the opportunity to join a program that was still developing, much like the one at McDonough. "I like the idea of coming to a place and leaving it better than when you got there," he said.

Yale assistant coach Andy Tower was also instrumental in attracting Floyd to New Haven. "Andy is by far the best offensive coach I've played with," he said. "His energy and enthusiasm have a direct effect on the offense and he's an incredible motivator." Floyd sees his own role on offense as that of a feeder, passing to teammates who are in position to score. If Floyd can continue to develop this knack for finding the open man—while still depositing six goals in the back of the net himself—his team will still have a chance to make it to the post-season when it's anybody's game. "The playoffs are definitely a realistic goal. If we can be consistent, we can play with anyone in the country," Floyd said.

If postseason glory turns out not to be a possibility this year, Floyd said "Before I leave Yale, I want to help this team reach the playoffs and challenge for a national championship." If he can lead the same kind of turnaround in college as he did in high school, then Yale is well ahead of schedule.

Photo by Julia Tiernan.

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