Sienna van Alphen Takes Charge of the Chargers

After a standout water polo career at Dos Pueblos High and UCSB, Sienna van Alphen will make good use of her athletic upbringing when she assumes the role of athletic director at Dos Pueblos High School (DPHS) on July 1. Coinciding with the conclusion of Dan Feldhaus’s 17-year tenure as the Chargers’ AD, van Alphen’s ascension makes her the first female athletic director in the history of Dos Pueblos High.

“I take great honor and pride in being named the first female athletic director here at Dos Pueblos, especially considering I went to school here and I had such an amazing time,” van Alphen said. “I have had such great mentorship from Danelle Muhr, Debbie Dulawan Boe, and Cathy Neushul, so being able to take what I learned from them and what they gave to me that inspired me. I am hoping that I can do the same.”

A background in aquatics that began when she was 7 years old has provided van Alphen diverse life experiences that make her an ideal fit. She began her athletic career with Santa Barbara Water Polo Club, which is now 805 Water Club. In high school, van Alphen helped lead the Dos Pueblos girls’ water polo team to two CIF championships. In between her junior and senior seasons, she played at the junior national level for the Czech Republic at the European Championships.

“Sienna bleeds blue and gold, and having worked in our athletic department the last few years, she has already established strong, trusting relationships with our school community,” said DPHS principal Bill Woodard in a press release. “She has the energy, enthusiasm, work ethic, and leadership potential required for this extremely important position along with a vision and plan to help lead us to even greater heights.”

At UCSB, van Alphen’s water polo career continued, as she played for legendary head coach Cathy Neushul, before playing for a year internationally in the Netherlands. Upon returning to Santa Barbara, van Alphen began her coaching career, first for the 805 Water Polo Club’s 10U division and eventually working her way up to coaching boys’ and girls’ water polo at Dos Pueblos.

Upon joining Dos Pueblos four years ago, van Alphen became intimately involved in the administrative side of athletics. When Feldhaus announced he was stepping down, van Alphen saw the opportunity as a natural transition.

“I was able to learn so many things in a different way on the back end of what it takes to run not just one athletic program, but all of the athletic programs,” van Alphen said. “I started doing all the things, and now it is second nature to me.”

One of the major challenges in high school athletic departments in the Santa Barbara area is budgeting, especially when it comes to out-of-town competitions. Working with boosters and figuring out ways to facilitate special opportunities to test their abilities outside of the region is something that van Alphen would like to continue to make possible.

“We want to be able to send our student athletes who are working hard to be able to compete not just here at home, but to be able to take those road trips,” said van Alphen. “That has been our biggest challenge and it will continue to be our biggest challenge. That is definitely a goal of mine: to work with our admin and the district, along with our coaches and boosters, to make sure we have enough to make it through each season.”

But there’s also a need to focus on matters at home, as a much-needed facilities upgrade includes building a press box at Scott O’Leary Stadium, which van Alphen hopes to break ground on next spring. “We certainly need it,” she said of this major on-campus priority. “That’s a big one for us.”