Athletics Staff

Coach Collins was born and raised in San Diego. In high school, he played both varsity football and lacrosse, and went on to play lacrosse at Sonoma State University, where he earned his B.A. in Communications in 2002. During the summer of 2015, he earned a master’s degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University. Since joining Pacific Ridge in 2008, he has coached both middle and high school sports such as flag football, basketball and lacrosse, has participated in the Service Learning and Clubs program, and has served as a student advisor. 

Coach Collins served as the boys varsity lacrosse head coach from 2015-2018 and as an assistant coach from 2021-2022. He was named CIF Boys Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 2015. As an administrator, he has held the title of Athletics Coordinator, Athletics Operations and Facilities Administrator, Assistant Director of Athletics and Director of Athletics. 

Coach Collins lives in San Marcos with his wife and two children. He enjoys a good round of golf, spending time outdoors and relaxing with family and friends.

Jed joins PRS in 2017 as Interim Assistant Director of Athletics and Varsity Head Boys’ Volleyball coach. He currently is also the Director of Boys’ Volleyball/Coach at WAVE Volleyball Club and brings over 20 years of coaching experience at the high school, club, college, professional and international levels. A few coaching highlights for Jed are 2013, 2014, 2015 CIF Championships with La Costa Canyon HS Boys’ Volleyball, 2014 14U GJNC Open Qualifier, 2015 BJNC 16U Club Gold Medal, 2016 BJNC 15U Open 5^th place (WAVE), 2009 AVP Manhattan Beach Finalist coaching Matt Olson and Kevin Wong, 2010 and 2011 San Diego City College Men’s Volleyball 2 best seasons in program history. Coaching is Jed’s passion and he loves seeing players develop through volleyball into outstanding individuals on and off the court through good work, the challenges of competition, time management of being a student-athlete, the comradery of their team and striving for excellence.

Jed’s playing experience started in his hometown of Kirkland, Washington. As a club player he won two state and regional championships. After high school he moved to San Diego to attend college and play volleyball. He set for Mesa College his freshman year and was the setter/team captain at Grossmont College his sophomore year. He was recruited to San Diego State University and played 2 seasons for the Aztecs. Jed finished his stint at SDSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing in 2001. After college he signed professional contracts with Division 1 VC Bottrop 90 in Germany as a Libero and in his second season with Nati League A Kanti Baden in Switzerland as a Setter. On the beach Jed earned a AAA CBVA rating, played in AVP Qualifiers and competed in a few international tournaments. When not in the gym Jed can be found spending time with his wife Kristen and son Noa, surfing local breaks in North San Diego and playing beach volleyball.

A Carlsbad native, Brett Balkan was a standout baseball player at Carlsbad High School before earning All-American honors and a Rawlings Gold Glove Award at San Diego Mesa College. He went on to play Division I baseball at California State University, Northridge, and spent five seasons playing professionally, earning multiple All-Star selections, two championships, and MVP honors.

Coach Balkan is the Head Varsity Baseball Coach and a Physical Education Teacher at Pacific Ridge School. In his first season as head coach, he led the Firebirds to their first league championship in four years and helped the program earn promotion to a higher league.

With more than a decade of coaching experience, Brett specializes in hitting, infield play, and player development. He is the founder of Balkan Hitting and serves as Hitting Director for Holistic Baseball. He holds a bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge, and a master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine.

Coach Brooks started playing soccer at the age of three and has achieved great success throughout her soccer career. She is a San Diego native with experience playing for a handful of soccer clubs around San Diego. She was a four-year Varsity player at Poway High School where she also coached for 8 years after she graduated. Following High School, Coach Brooks played for Miramar College where she led the team as a captain for two years and received the award for Conference Player of the Year both years. She continued her career playing 5 years for the San Diego SeaLions in the Women's Premier Soccer League where she played a vital role in helping them win the 2013 WPSL National Title. Coach Brooks received a B.S. in Health Sciences with an emphasis on Healthy Lifestyle Coaching from Arizona State University and then received a Master's in Education from Alliant International University. Coach Brooks is the head coach for the girls' varsity soccer team. She also teaches Middle School and Upper School physical education. 

Coach Burman has coached high school basketball for the past fifteen years, spending his early coaching years at Washington High School (Tacoma, WA) and the Athenian School (Danville, CA). He is entering his tenth year coaching basketball at Pacific Ridge, his ninth as head coach of the boys basketball program. Coach Burman's PRS teams have won 136 games in the past 8 years, averaging 17 wins per season.  In 2015 PRS won the San Diego Division IV CIF championship, earning the team's first trip to the state playoffs. 

Coach Burman grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area playing a combination of football, basketball, baseball, and soccer through high school. He is passionate about sports and always knew he wanted to coach high school basketball. Coach Burman strives to build a program where committed students-athletes learn to play with passion, work as a team, and have a fun experience.

In addition to his duties as head basketball coach, Coach Burman is also a full-time Spanish teacher at Pacific Ridge with 24 years of teaching experience. He completed a B.A. in Spanish and Biology from the University of San Diego and an M.A. in Secondary Education from San Francisco State University. Beyond PRS, Coach Burman enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and cheering for the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants!

Mr. Chirgwin grew up in Storrs, Connecticut, where he lettered in four varsity sports in high school. He received All State honors in soccer, and played for the Connecticut Olympic Development team for three years. He received a B.S. in Physical Education from Eastern Connecticut State University. Before coming to Pacific Ridge, Mr. Chirgwin was a full-time youth club soccer coach and a scout for the Olympic Development Program. He holds a USSF national "A" license. 

Mr. Elsdon joined Pacific Ridge in 2009. He received a B.A. in History from Sonoma State University, where his lacrosse contributions earned him an induction into the university's Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He has been an athletic coach for the past ten years, including coaching boys lacrosse from the elementary to high school level. At Pacific Ridge, Mr. Elsdon teaches physical education, coaches Middle School boys flag football and basketball, and supervises the Middle School boys lacrosse program. He is an assistant coach for the boys varsity lacrosse team.

Melissa Guney-Fryan (Ms. G) is entering her third year as a member of the Pacific Ridge Athletics department. Before joining the flock, she spent seven years as a collegiate Certified Athletic Trainer, serving California State University San Marcos and Whittier College (Whittier, CA). She has provided care for football, basketball, water polo, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, softball, track and field, cross county, and tennis teams.
 
Ms. G graduated from Plymouth State University (Plymouth, NH) with a Masters of Science in Athletic Training and completed her Bachelors of Science in Integrated Science, Business, & Technology at La Salle University (Philadelphia, PA). She holds certification from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification and membership in the California Athletic Trainers’ Association. She is also a certified Rock Tape FMT Practitioner in kinesiology taping, IASTM, and myofascial cupping.
 
Ms. G is excited to continue supporting Pacific Ridge student athletes. She is dedicated to the overall well-being of students and always puts the person before the injury. Utilizing her specialized rehabilitation techniques, she provides the highest quality of care to get students back onto the field, court, or rink as safely and quickly as possible.

In her free time, Ms. G enjoys hiking and being outdoors with her husband, son, and two dogs. On Sundays she can be found rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Coach Neptune is the head coach for the girls varsity lacrosse team and an assistant coach for the girls Middle School lacrosse team. She also teaches Middle School and Upper School physical eduation. Active in the lacrosse community, Ms. Neptune has been the All-American chair for Girls High School Lacrosse in San Diego County for four years, and has acted as an annual Western Division National Team selector. She is the current President for the San Diego chapter of US Lacrosse as well as a member of the Middle School Lacrosse operating board. Ms. Neptune was was inducted into the US Lacrosse San Diego Chapter Hall of Fame and voted CIF Girls Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 2015.  

A competitive open water swimmer, Ms. Neptune also coordinates an adapted aquatics swim program for disabled athletes. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Colorado.

Coach Wheel grew up in Vermont before moving west to attend San Diego State University. After interning with the Strength and Conditioning Staff and graduating with a degree in Kinesiology, he joined Pacific Ridge as the Strength and Conditioning Coach in 2009. He worked until 2014 when he moved to Denver, CO. After five years in Denver, Coach Wheel returned to Pacific Ridge as the Strength and Conditioning Coach. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the NSCA, and a Titleist Performance Institute Level 3 Junior coach.

Outside of coaching, Coach Wheel spends time with his wife, son Logan, and dog Bert Macklin FBI. He loves to play basketball, surf, and you can see him adding maple syrup to his coffee.

Ms. Wiedemeier is responsible for providing administrative support to the athletics department. She helps with managing schedules, coordinating meetings, handling correspondence, organizing events and so much more!