When Ariella Barry ‘12 was in eighth grade at Milken, she showed incredible promise in volleyball with her tough competitive spirit that was immediately recognized by Milken Girls’ Volleyball Head Coach Lisa Steenport. To Barry’s surprise, she was invited by Coach Steenport to practice with some high school girls’ varsity players where Barry said she “liked the challenge” and “definitely proved herself.” Little did she know that Coach Steenport’s invitation would provide her the first of many athletic opportunities she had at Milken that would mold her into a star volleyball player.
Today, 85% of students are athletes that also recognize the many opportunities Milken athletics offers. The majority of students have felt the thrill of stepping on to a court, field, or track and nervously getting ready to represent not only themselves as individual players, but a Milken athletics team as a whole. These students know the challenges that come with committing significant time to practices and games after or even before school. They know the difficulties in transforming a team into a cohesive unit that tries to stay competitive and motivated to improve on a near-daily basis. Even the Milken students who are not athletes can’t deny the intense popularity and influence that athletics has on campus. Though, other than the “All-CIF Wildcat” banners hung up in the gym to showcase Milken’s best athletes, true Milken Wildcat greatness has never been recognized until now.
On March 17, Milken held its first ever Milken Athletics Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at which athletes Rachel Gross ‘04, Adam Cunningham ‘07, Ariella Barry ‘12, and Amitai Afenjar ‘18 were inducted. The Milken 2000 boys basketball team, 2007 girls basketball team, 2010 girls volleyball team, and 2017 boys basketball team were inducted as well. Coaches Barbara Iversen and Lisa Steenport were instated in the Hall of Fame for their long time excellence in coaching too.
Milken Alumni Relations Manager Sammy Lawrence ‘14 who was one of the main organizers of the Milken Hall of Fame and said “that the best way to create passion around athletics is to recognize all of the legends that came before us.” Associate Head of Milken External Relations Danny Spiegel who was also involved in forming the Athletics Hall of Fame stated he is a “true believer that athletics should be recognized on the same level that all other programs on campus are.” This recognition will continue as an induction into the Milken Hall of Fame will occur every two years. Lawrence also went on to say “the purchase of Milken East renewed an emphasis on athletics” and created a great opportunity “to bestow these honors on all these incredible people.”
The Milken Hall of Fame shows the heights our athletes have already reached and the higher points future athletes can climb to if Milken uses the newly purchased campus of AJU to raise the quality of the athletics program. In turn, the Hall of Fame not only acts as a tool of reflection, but also as a turning point for the Milken athletics program as they begin making major innovations to form even more successful teams and players in the future.
On the night of the ceremony, alumni, current Milken coaches, and various community members were in attendance. Before the ceremony began, the Milken Wall of Fame was revealed outside of the gym and a picture of every Milken coach, player, and team that was being inducted was featured on the wall.
Attendees then entered the Milken gym that was transformed into an event room with black leather floors, a large podium for speakers, and many beautifully decorated round tables where everyone was seated. As each team, coach, or past athlete was inducted into the hall of fame, a video was shown on the big screen in their honor, with testimonials from various Milken students, past faculty, or coaches that spoke on the many accomplishments, moments of improvement, and funny stories that showed the characteristics of the inductee. After this, the inductee was brought up to the podium following a short introductory speech from a current Milken faculty member, coach, or athlete.
The first athlete inducted into the Milken Hall of Fame for her play in soccer and volleyball was Ariella Barry ‘12. Barry is a four time All-CIF Athlete for her play in volleyball (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and a two time All-CIF athlete for her play in soccer (2010, 2012). She says “sports helped bring her out of her comfort zone” and made her “use leadership skills that she definitely would not have used anywhere else.” One of her favorite memories from playing Volleyball at Milken was when her team competed in the CIF semi-finals. Though they lost, she remembers it being “such a fun game” where so “many people showed up” to support her as she became a part of an all time Milken athletic highlight.
Another individual athlete inducted was Amitai Afenjar ‘18 for his play in basketball. Afenjar was the basketball CIF Player of the Year in 2017 and led Milken to their first ever CIF championship that year. He went on to play basketball at multiple different colleges and has recently concluded his final year at Graceland University. During his high school career, he says “there were opportunities where he could have gone to Harvard-Westlake and Sierra Canyon” to play basketball “but he felt a strong connection to the Jewish community” which kept him at Milken.
The entire 2017 Boys Basketball team which Afenjar led to a CIF championship was inducted too and nearly the entire roster took the stage together. When Afenjar reconnected with his old teammates during the induction ceremony, he said “it felt great to see them become older” and “setting themselves up for success” in their lives now. He described seeing some of the “rough lows” that his teammates faced as they played together in high school and felt proud that they were building businesses, starting families, or pursuing various careers today.
Rachel Gross ‘04 was inducted into the Hall of Fame too. She is a two time all-CIF athlete (2003 and 2004) for soccer and a two time league MVP (2002 and 2003) in volleyball. She was described as a “dugma [hebrew for example] on the field” and as someone who is “competitive and fair” by her friends and family. In the video shown at the ceremony, she was also characterized as an “aggressive athlete” who strived “to bring people up with her” and “be a great leader on the team” even as she excelled individually.
The next individual athlete inducted was Cross Country and Track and Field Athlete Adam Cunningham ‘07. He is a two time All-CIF athlete for cross country (2006 and 2007) and a one time All-CIF athlete for Track and Field (2006). Cunningham then ran Cross Country and Track at the University of North Carolina as well. He was introduced to the Milken community by a current All-CIF Cross Country and Track Athlete Eli Mankoff ‘24 who is “still chasing some of his school records to this day.” In the video dedicated to Cunningham, it was said by one of his past teammates that he “was one of the best athletes he had been around and also one of the best people he had been around.” It was made clear by those close to Cunningham, that he was able to balance both talent in athletics with a kind and respectful character towards everyone around him.
The Milken 2000 boys basketball team, 2007 girls basketball team, and 2010 girls volleyball were also all inducted for making the semi-finals in their respective CIF tournaments. The entire rosters for all of these teams returned from all over the country to attend the induction ceremony and their joyful conversations and laughs made it seem like they never stopped being teammates.
Also, the 2005 Milken Boys basketball team was not inducted in the Hall of Fame, but was recognized during the event for making the decision as a team to refuse to participate in a playoff game on Shabbat. Rabbi Bernat-Kunin spoke on how he was extremely proud of the team’s decision to keep Shabbat instead of playing the game as it showed their strong connection to the Jewish values at Milken. Though this was not mentioned by Rabbi BK, the team’s decision not to play on Shabbat emulates legendary Jewish Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax’s refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur in 1965. The boys basketball team’s decision is therefore not an outlier, but is a part of a historical dedication to Judaism Jewish athletes have shown.
But, where would a team be without their coach? Long time, Milken coach and current Head of Athletics Barbara Iversen was inducted into the Hall of Fame for her “Wildcat Leadership.” As she walked up to the podium, all attendees of the ceremony chanted “Ivy!
Ivy! Ivy!” and she emotionally accepted her induction in front of the community she has worked so hard for. Coach Iversen has already been inducted into three different Hall of Fames including the Connecticut Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame but says “to be in it for the work she does makes her so proud.” She added that she always tries taking the characteristics of motivation, sacrifice, and empathy she had while being an athlete into her coaching and is extremely happy with the growth Milken athletics has experienced “over the past five years.”
Current Head of Milken Middle School Athletics and High School Varsity Volleyball Coach Lisa Steenport was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for “Excellence in Coaching.” Coach Steenport feels that what makes a coach great is their ability to “develop personal relationships” with their players and added that a coach “can never stay stale” and needs to always adapt to the team they are working with. Steenport was especially loved by the past Milken volleyball players. Ariella Barry said “Steenport is one of the best coaches she has ever had” and “always provided more opportunities for her players” to improve. She highlighted Coach Steenport as one of her favorite aspects of the entire Milken athletics program.
The Milken Hall of Fame is a culmination of much needed reflection and appreciation of past Milken athletic greatness. Daniel Spiegel who helped organize the event says it “brings you [alumni] back to reminisce and celebrate achievements together.” Mr. Lawrence, an alumni who has returned as an employee at Milken added that unlike other high schools, “Milken is a place that brings you back” and believes in the “cyclical nature of honoring and being honored.” The Hall of Fame marks the beginning of a Milken tradition to remember the great athletic achievements of the pastrather than letting them be known simply as years on a banner.
However, a question still stands: Why introduce the Hall of Fame now?
In her opening remarks Dr. Shulkind, announced that with the purchase of the AJU campus (renamed Milken East), Milken is looking to raise “100 million plus dollars” for the campus. Sammy Lawrence who led the charge in organizing the Induction ceremony also stated that the goal of the event is to “elevate Milken athletics.” These remarks could point to Milken planning to dedicate a portion of Milken East to various athletic facilities.
