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ATHLETICS
Dreams Come True
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KELSEY PLUM ’13, ALFONSO RIVAS ’15, ROBERT RIDLAND ’68, TE-HINA PAOPAO ’20
The pandemic put a pause on athletics, but it didn’t set back the following Torreys from achieving excellence at the next level. Whether representing the United States in international competitions or being called up to the major leagues, Torrey pride was in full force.
Photo Courtesy of Kelsey Plum
Good as Gold
In June 2020, Kelsey Plum ’13 tore her Achilles tendon while playing with her WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces. The potentially career-ending injury sidelined the standout guard for the entire pandemic-abbreviated 2020 season. But Plum, the first overall selection in the 2017 WNBA draft, did not let the injury derail her determination to make it back on the court. She underwent surgery on her Achilles and then embarked on intensive rehabilitation efforts. And those efforts paid off. Exactly one year to the day that she took her first post-operative steps, Plum stood on top of the podium at the Tokyo Olympics, accepting a gold medal with her teammates in 3 × 3 basketball.
Tokyo was the first time the 3 × 3 event—which is played with a 12-second shot clock on a half-court—had appeared in the Olympics. Baskets inside the arc and free throws are worth one point, and baskets made from outside the arc are worth two points. The winner is the first team to score 21 points or the leading team at the end of the 10-minute game clock. The U.S. team had a strong showing throughout the tournament, losing only one game before defeating the Russian Olympic Committee by a score of 18–15 in the gold medal match. Plum was dominant throughout the team’s championship run: She was the tournament’s leading scorer, averaging 6.1 points per game.
Plum’s dominant performance was no surprise to anyone familiar with her previous on-court accomplishments. She led La Jolla Country Day School to the 2012 CIF Division IV state championship and scored an NCAA-record 3,527 points in her four seasons at Washington. After being picked first in the draft by the San Antonio Stars, she was named to the All-Rookie team. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas and changed their name to the Aces, and Plum played a key role in helping the team make the playoffs in 2019. When not with her WNBA team, Plum plays for Turkey’s Fenerbahçe, where she helped lead the team to two Turkish League championships and a Turkish Cup.
A Major Debut
He has made the journey that every young baseball player dreams of: Alfonso Rivas ’15 is now in the major leagues. The 24-year-old first baseman was called up to the bigs by the Chicago Cubs in late August 2021 after proving himself with Triple A Iowa. And if his first MLB at-bat is any indication, Rivas is ready for the big leagues. Up against the White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease, Rivas swung at the first pitch, a 98-mph fastball, and sent it cleanly into center field for a single. A second hit came later in the game.
Rivas has been honing his talents and building upon his successes since his time as a Torrey. He played for the University of Arizona Wildcats from 2016 to 2018 as a fielder and a relief pitcher. As a freshman, he appeared in 55 games, making 47 starts in the field and 18 appearances on the mound. He recorded two saves in the Wildcats’ 2–16 run to the College World Series. He finished his career at Arizona hitting .323 with 15 home runs.
In 2018, Rivas was a fourth-round draft pick for the Oakland A’s but was traded to the Cubs in January 2020. He was able to be with the team for spring training, but the pandemic delayed his major league debut for a year. After playing 58 games for Iowa, the self-described contact hitter earned his chance to show the Cubs how he could help the team in the run-up to the postseason.
Momentous Leaps
In 1976, Robert Ridland ’68 competed for the U.S. team in equestrian jumping at the Montreal Olympics. Forty-five years and a distinguished international career later, he journeyed to Tokyo for his second stint as the U.S. Olympic equestrian team coach. Under his strategic leadership, the U.S. jumping team earned the silver medal after an intense jump-off battle with Sweden in the jumping team final. The Tokyo result equaled the team’s accomplishments of Ridland’s first run as team coach at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where they also received silver.
Ridland adds Olympic-medal-winning coach to his long list of accomplishments in the equestrian world. As a show jumper, he won numerous jumping events prior to the 1976 Olympics, including the 1971 New York Grand Prix, the 1974 Switzerland Grand Prix, the 1975 Toronto Rothman Grand Prix and the 1976 Tampa Invitational Grand Prix.
He has been involved in the administration of the sport, serving as a board member of the U.S. Equestrian Foundation and the U.S. Equestrian Team, and as a technical delegate for several World Cup finals. Ridland’s vast experience as an international course designer, includes courses for the U.S. Olympic Trials, and he has earned the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Course Designer of the Year award twice. Ridland has also been a color analyst for televised jumping competitions for NBC, CBS and ESPN. In 2018, he was inducted into the Jumping Hall of Fame.
Apart from his U.S. Equestrian Team commitments, Ridland serves as the co-founder and president of Blenheim EquiSports.
Continuing to Excel
After leading LJCDS’ women’s basketball team to a 32–1 record and the No. 1 national ranking for the 2019–2020 season, Te-Hina Paopao ’20 is not resting on her laurels. The 5-foot-9 guard just took her game global, helping the U.S. Women’s U19 National Basketball Team win the gold medal at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Hungary. The U.S. team was 7–0 for the tournament, defeating Australia decisively, 70–52, in the title game. Paopao started all seven games and finished the tournament averaging 9.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals. The U.S. women have been dominant in this tournament, winning seven of the past eight FIBAs.
Paopao, who was an All-American at LJCDS, is returning from international play to begin her sophomore year at the University of Oregon. A starting guard for the Ducks, Paopao was an All-PAC-12 selection as a freshman, when she averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. She also led all NCAA freshmen with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover
ratio. —MICHELLE CHOATE
RELEASE RADAR
SHARON MCCARTNEY ’77
VILLA NEGATIVA
Against the backdrop of a sibling’s death, an eating disorder and a few very dismal dating relationships, Villa Negativa looks for laughter behind darkness: the intruder who politely removes her shoes, the fabricator whose closest relationship is with fiberglass, the anorexic who sends the Diet Coke back because it tastes too good. Meditative and mischievous, confessional and philosophical, sincere and sly by turns, Sharon McCartney’s seventh collection articulates an essential truth of self-knowledge—that “to perceive something, we have to be able to stand away from it.”
Villa Negativa is dedicated to the late Bruce Boston, a beloved English educator in the Upper School for 34 years.
PIP LEWIS ’20
HUMAN NATURE
A contemplative, yet hopeful narrative set against a delicate folk-pop sound, Human Nature seeks to capture a common story shared by everyone: the human condition. The debut album is based on observations of the complex relationships between humans and how they interact with the world and explores the little pieces that make up an individual. Single “People Like You” was nominated for a San Diego Music Award as best acoustic/folk song, earned Top 3 Finalist in Song Academy’s Young Songwriter Competition international category, and has been played on BBC Radio and 91X FM.
WORK HARD. BE KIND. DREAM BIG.
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
GOVERNMENT
Champion of Education
CINDY COHEN MARTEN ’84
LJCDS alumni who pursue careers in education as teachers, professors, staff members or administrators carry forward the mission of the school—preparing individuals for a lifetime of intellectual exploration, personal growth and social responsibility. They lead lives that influence the next generation to make the world a better place.
Cindy Cohen Marten ’84 embodies this path, rising through the ranks of the public education system in San Diego before being recently named the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education by the Biden administration.
In the beginning of her career, Marten dedicated 10 years working as a teacher and principal at Central Elementary School in City Heights, San Diego, where she created programs that enhanced students’ learning experiences, including a biliteracy program, after-school and preschool programs, a school garden and an integrated arts education.
In 2013, Marten was unanimously elected superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, the second-largest school district in California. During her tenure as superintendent, the district saw the highest graduation rate of the state’s big-city districts. In addition, Marten navigated the district through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, getting the necessary technology to students and distributing free meals. She held this position for eight years until the Biden administration nominated her to become U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education. She was confirmed in May 2021.
In this role, Marten’s primary purview is elementary and secondary education, where she is responsible for the creation and implementation of policies, programs and activities. She oversees work on special education and rehabilitative services, safe and drug-free schools, impoverished students’ education, education of diverse students (both in language and culture) and more.
Marten’s motto, “Work hard. Be kind. Dream big!” reflects the core of the Torrey
spirit. —KATIE SIGETI ’06
Cindy Cohen
Marten ’84 is the 11th United States Deputy Secretary of Education. Marten served as the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District from 2013–2021.
TWITTER.COM/BEKINDDREAMBIG
ATHLETICS
Hall of Fame
In fall 2021, alumni, their families and current and former coaches returned to campus to celebrate the La Jolla Country Day School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony and Homecoming. The 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees were Jerry Fleischhacker, Diego Rovira ’00, Lauren Swigart ’03 and the 2001–2002 women’s basketball team.
Jerry Fleischhacker was a beloved soccer coach and history educator for 29 years at La Jolla Country Day School. “Coach Fly” did not miss any of the 704 games his teams played between 1991 and 2020. His teams had a record of 364–215–125, making him the winningest soccer coach in school history. Under his leadership, men’s varsity soccer won five Coastal League championships and two California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championships. Fleischhacker served as a positive mentor to his players on and off the field. “I’ve played soccer my whole life and had many coaches, but none like Fly,” shares Diego Rovira ’00. “He cared so much about the players and the team. It was never about winning (though he liked winning); it was all about the journey in helping us grow up and become better people.” Zack Wolfenzon ’09 adds, “Everyone who’s taken a class with Fly comes out a better student. Everyone who’s played for Fly comes out as a better soccer player. Everyone who’s had a chance to know Fly is ever grateful to have him as a coach, teacher, mentor and friend.”
Fleischhacker was also inducted as a San Diego Coaching Legend by the San Diego Hall of Champions in 2021.
Lauren Swigart ’03 was a cross country and track and field star from 1999 to 2003. She led three cross country teams to both Coastal League and CIF championships. She also led three teams to impressive finishes in the state championships. Swigart was a top-five finisher in both the Coastal Conference and CIF during all four seasons. She was the Division IV individual CIF champion in 2001 and 2002. Swigart was named All-Coastal Conference and team MVP all four of her cross country seasons and was a fourtime All-Academic selection by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Swigart led the Torreys to three Coastal Conference Championships and was a three-time CIF finalist in track and field. She went on to run both cross country and track and field at Santa Clara University. She was named first-team All-WCC (West Coast Conference) in cross country in both 2003 and 2006 and was a WCC All-Academic selection. Beyond college, Swigart continued her running and competed in Ironman Triathlons and ultra-marathons. She now lives in the mountains of Colorado and has climbed all of its 58 peaks over 14,000 feet.
Top Row: June Brubaker Landry ’02, Terri Bamford, Brian Murphy, LaToya Cunningham ’05, Corinne Brunn Bottom Row: Mercedes Fox-Griffin ’05, Lauren Swigart ’03, Marissa Rivera ’04, Diego Rovira ’00, Jerry Fleischhacker
Diego Rovira ’00 is one of the greatest soccer players in La Jolla Country Day School history. He was a talented left-footed midfielder who played from 1996 to 2000 and finished his LJCDS soccer career as the all-time leading scorer at the time. His head coach, Jerry Fleischhacker, described him as “a fine young man and team leader who did a great job teaching the seven freshmen about team attitude. Those seven freshmen went on to win a CIF title and were then mentors to the new freshmen.” Rovira was named first-team All-Coastal League three times and first-team All-CIF as a senior. In addition to excelling on the field, he was a three-time member of the academic honor roll and was part of a high school All-Academic team selected by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Rovira became an honorable mention All-WCC (West Coast Conference) player at Saint Mary’s College of California. He then had a tremendous professional career with the San Diego Sockers. In the 2010–2011 season, Rovira scored 19 goals in 15 games for the Sockers and was named Second Team All-PASL (Professional Arena Soccer League).
The 2001–2002 women’s basketball team was Coastal League co-champions, CIF Division V champions (108–35 over Julian), Southern California Regional champions (63–37 over Pilgrim) and California state champions (53–49 over Modesto Christian). They played a challenging nonleague schedule, won three preseason tournaments, defeated nationally ranked and state-ranked championship teams, and finished the season with a record of 27–5. The Torreys were ranked No. 1 in San Diego County, No. 1 in the Division V team in California and top 10 overall in California. The team roster included LaToya Cunningham ’05, Mercedes Fox-Griffin ’05, Ashley Rentz Kerins ’03, June Brubaker Landry ’02, Marissa Rivera ’04, Chrystina Sayers ’05, Gabriela Sanz-Douglass ’04, Candice Wiggins ’04 and Sarah Wilson ’02. They were coached by Terri Bamford, Brian Murphy, Corinne Brunn and Genevieve Ruvald. —ROBERT GRASSO
PERFORMING ARTS
A Harmonious Return to San Diego
DAVID CHAN ’91
David Chan ’91 is in his 22nd year as a concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. While he resides in New York, San Diego will always have a special place in his heart. In 2020, Chan reestablished his connection with Mainly Mozart, a San Diego–founded classical music nonprofit organization.
Mainly Mozart brings together concertmasters and principal players from around the nation to perform in the largest gathering of its kind in North America. During his senior year at LJCDS, Chan performed in one of Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra’s chamber music concerts. Now, the Del Mar native serves in a variety of roles as co-artistic partner.
In fall 2020, Chan performed with the organization for the first time as a professional in the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra Drive-in Concert Series held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Then he returned to San Diego for Mainly Mozart’s Festival of Orchestras as conductor, concertmaster and featured soloist in winter and spring 2021.
On September 11, 2021, Chan conducted the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra at the Del Mar Surf Cup Sports Park. In partnership with the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC), Mainly Mozart presented a special benefit concert, “A Path Forward,” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The event raised funds and brought awareness to
NCRC’s mission to overcome hatred, intolerance and incivility while ensuring the heroes and victims are not forgotten. Chan led the orchestra in a performance of Mozart’s overture to “The Marriage of Figaro.”
While in San Diego, Chan also visited the LJCDS campus and met with Upper School strings classes to share a few of his pieces and listen to the students’ work. —KATIE SIGETI ’06
David Chan ’91 has been the concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2000 and made his Carnegie Hall debut during the 2002–2003 season. He has been an active soloist, recitalist and chamber musician around the world from the United States to Europe and Asia.
DAVIDCHANMUSIC.COM
REUNIONS
Celebrating with Fellow Torreys
LJCDS hosted several events in the 2020–2021 academic year for alumni, their families, faculty, staff and coaches to reunite, reminisce and celebrate.
Left: Decade and 25-year reunions celebrating the classes of ’70, ’71, ’80, ’81, ’90, ’91, ’95, ’96, ’00 and ’01. Pictured:
Class of 2001. AUGUST 28, 2021
Above: All-Alumni Family Reunion Picnic. Pictured: Jason Davis ’02 and Phoebe Davis ’32. AUGUST 29, 2021 Below: Five- and 10-year reunions for the classes of 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016, at Ballast Point Brewing. Pictured:
Class of 2011. DECEMBER 26, 2021
UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS: SAVE THE DATE
Decade and 25-year Reunions: Saturday, August 27, 2022
Celebrating the reunion classes of 1972, 1982, 1992, 1997 and 2002
All-Alumni Family Picnic: Sunday, August 28, 2022
Alumni in reunion classes and their families are invited to enjoy fun in the sun on the LJCDS softball field!
LJCDS.ORG/ALUMNI
STAY CONNECTED
LJCDS alumni are active on Facebook and LinkedIn. Join the groups today and make connections with fellow alumni, discuss careers, network and share your favorite memories of LJCDS.
