Three Columbus athletes participate in signing ceremony

After a senior year full of highs, Columbus’ Brittany Floyd added another big accomplishment on Monday.

Floyd was one of three Columbus athletes who signed their National Letters of Intent at Columbus. Floyd shared the big stage with Harper Fine and Olivia Oney, who all took in the big moment in front of the high school’s packed gymnasium.

Floyd, who signed to a track scholarship to UAB, could hardly contain her excitement once the three athletes signed and made their plans official.

“Today was so exciting,” Floyd said. “I was a little bit nervous, but most of those nerves are gone now.”

Floyd said UAB’s home feel convinced her to join the program, in which she plans to compete in the long jump, triple jump and the 800-meter run. She leaves Columbus after a jam-packed year which included a state championship in girls basketball as well as appearances in the finals of two events at the state track meet this past weekend.

Floyd credited Columbus head track coach Bobby Peters and assistant Danielle McCoy for preparing her for the next step in her career.

“It’s a really big opportunity for me, and I’m really grateful for it,” Floyd said. “I hope that I succeed in the next level.”

Fine, Floyd’s track teammate, will be attending Oxford College of Emory University. She will attend Oxford College in Oxford, Ga., and run cross country for two years before moving to Emory, where she will participate on the track team and graduate with an Emory degree.

Fine said she chose Emory for the academic prestige before the athletic opportunity ever presented itself. She said all of her experiences at Columbus have adequately prepared her for what’s up next.

“Coming to practice every day, being dedicated and being able to compete in invitationals have prepared me athletically,” Fine said. “Academically, we’re the No. 1 public high school in the state of Georgia, so I think that doing my senior project and other things like that have helped me so much.”

Oney signed a partial equestrian scholarship to Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. Oney’s signing was a historic one for Columbus, as she became the first equestrian signee in school history.

“Today is just a huge combination of all the work I’ve put in the past 14 years of my life,” Oney said. “This is something I’ve wanted forever. Here I am, committed and ready to go.”

As each athlete put on her new school’s cap, all three laughed and posed for photos for friends and family in the gym bleachers. They will soon be headed to three different colleges in three separate states, but they were able to share a few minutes together as they take their athletic careers to the next level.

“It’s really nice,” Floyd said of having two classmates sign alongside her. “They’ve worked hard and deserve everything they’ve gotten.”

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Three Columbus athletes participate in signing ceremony."