A 19‑year‑old from Rice University’s soccer squad was discovered lifeless in an off‑campus apartment after she participated in a TikTok challenge called the “devil trend,” where she’d humorously describe herself as a “popular loner.”
Claire Tracy, a sophomore athlete, passed away on December 7 about two blocks from the campus, according to a KHOU 11 report. The exact reason for her death hasn’t been released.
On the day before she died, Tracy posted three videos on her TikTok. In one she explained the “devil trend” to a friend, then screen‑grabbed the text and shared it with her followers:
“I’m doing ‘the devil’ trend on TikTok. I will say ‘the devil couldn’t reach me,’ and you will answer, ‘he did.’ Then, I will ask ‘How,’ and you will give me the most brutally honest answer based on everything you know about me,”
Her friend responded with an eerily philosophical message:
“Because you did the work for him. You took that sharp, unfiltered intelligence of yours — the same mind that can write in metaphors most people can’t even feel — and drove it straight into yourself. You saw too clearly, thought too deeply, peeled every layer back until there was nothing left to shield you from the weight of being alive,”
“You burned yourself out chasing meaning, dissecting your own existence until the analysis became its own form of violence. You didn’t need the devil to tempt you; you handed him the blade and carved the truth into your own mind,”
Another post the previous day read simply: “Accepting that the big lock in just isn’t gonna happen this time,” while she stared into the camera. The last video, taken on the same day, showed her running on a treadmill. She commented: “When my mom asks why I’m at the gym on a Friday night alone again so I have to re‑explain what being a popular loner is (my two friends aren’t free again and I’d go mentally insane if I didn’t workout for at least two hours).”
Tracy grew up in Menominee Falls, Wisconsin, before moving to Houston in 2023 to study finance. Rice University noted that she had been an integral part of the soccer program, a former high‑school star who led Brookfield Academy to multiple titles, scored 118 goals and tallied 63 assists during her high‑school career, and earned accolades such as Midwest Classic Conference Player of the Year in 2023. She also excelled in cross‑country, finishing as a state qualifier and winning a conference championship in 2022, and was a consistent academic honor‑roll student, graduating eighth in her class and earning an Academic All‑State nomination in 2024.
After her passing, the team’s head coach released a tribute:
“Our thoughts and prayers go to Claire’s friends and family and to the many current and former teammates, whose lives were impacted by Claire’s kindness. She will forever be in our hearts,”
The community of students, coaches, and friends is left to mourn the loss of a talented athlete and a bright, supportive friend.
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