Sports and athletics have profoundly shaped Liza’s journey. From the ice rink to the lacrosse field, the yoga studio, and beyond, her athletic foundation was built at Choate Rosemary Hall, where she participated in the Total Athlete Conditioning program for four years and competed on the varsity ice hockey and lacrosse teams, serving as captain of both during her senior year. Liza went on to Hobart and William Smith Colleges as a two-sport athlete, splitting her first two years between ice hockey and lacrosse. The experience demanded—and strengthened—her time management, accountability, and commitment. She ultimately chose to pursue lacrosse full time, becoming a three-year starter and two-year captain. During her collegiate career, her team captured three Liberty League titles and advanced to the NCAA Final Four her senior year. Her commitment to her team and its culture earned her recognition as a Strength and Conditioning All-American, the 2023 RFK Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year, and the Winn-Seeley Award, which honors the senior athlete who best exemplifies leadership, service, academics, and athletic achievement. After graduation, Liza found a new way to share her passion for movement through CorePower Yoga, becoming certified to teach Yoga Sculpt. Teaching became a natural extension of her athletic experience, allowing her to channel the leadership, drive, discipline, and joy she discovered through competition. She has taught group fitness at CorePower Yoga and The Handlebar in Boston, Align and Hot11Yoga in Connecticut, and currently teaches at Synergy Fitness and Wellness in Plymouth, MA. Across both athletics and fitness, Liza is especially inspired by the sense of community created through shared movement. Whether celebrating a championship, pushing through a challenging workout, or moving together in a packed studio, she has seen firsthand how athletics can connect people and create opportunities for growth. Most recently, Liza completed her first marathon in Washington, D.C.—another reminder that sport is about far more than performance. For her, athletics have been a lifelong lesson in perseverance, connection, leadership, adaptability, and showing up fully for herself and others. She brings those lessons to her work with RD3 and its student-athletes.

Brien Diffley grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts, where he attended Burlington Public Schools before attending Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, graduating in 2014. During his time at BB&N, Brien excelled as a multi-sport athlete, competing in both ice hockey and tennis. Prior to attending BB&N, he helped Burlington High School capture a state championship in 2012. At BB&N, he earned recognition as a 2014 Eberhart Division ISL First Team All-Star, and his success at the prep level ultimately paved the way for a Division I hockey career. After high school, Brien attended Boston University, where he played Division I hockey and earned a degree in Psychology in 2018. During his collegiate career, he appeared in 97 games for the Terriers and was part of teams that captured both a Beanpot Championship and two Hockey East Championships. His strong play also earned him invitations to development camps with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins organizations in 2015. Brien considers winning the Beanpot to be one of the most memorable moments of his hockey career. After graduating from Boston University, Brien began his professional hockey career in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization before spending time in the Carolina Hurricanes system. He later continued his career overseas, playing professionally in France, Denmark, and England. His time in Europe has allowed him to pursue passions outside of hockey, including travel, language, and experiencing different cultures. While playing for the Sheffield Steelers in England, Brien helped lead the organization to a historic treble championship in 2023, winning the league title, playoff championship, and Challenge Cup. During that season, he was also named MVP of the Challenge Cup Final and competed in the Champions Hockey League against some of Europe’s top clubs. Alongside winning the Beanpot at Boston University, competing in the Champions Hockey League, and winning the Challenge Cup in front of his parents and sister are moments Brien considers among the most memorable of his career thus far. Alongside his professional hockey career, Brien is currently pursuing his MBA at Sheffield Hallam University as he prepares for the next chapter of his professional journey. Throughout his career, Brien has valued the leadership, discipline, and teamwork that competitive athletics instill, and he continues to bring those qualities to both his professional and personal endeavors today.

Ryan Diffley is a multi-sport athlete and incoming student-athlete at Babson College. During his time at Deerfield Academy, Ryan competed in three varsity sports and distinguished himself as a four-year varsity hockey player, appearing in over 100 games throughout his career. As a senior, Ryan served as co-captain of the Deerfield hockey team, helping lead the program to a historic 22–5 record and the No. 1 seed in the NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament. His leadership, consistency, and commitment were instrumental in one of the most successful seasons in program history. Following graduation, Ryan played junior hockey in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC). He began the season with the Springfield Pics, recording 7 goals and 18 assists before being acquired by the South Shore Kings at the trade deadline. With South Shore, Ryan added 1 goal and 14 assists while helping the team achieve one of the most dominant seasons in league history. The Kings captured the Founders Cup as regular season champions with a record-setting 44–7–3 record, followed by a New England Division Championship and ultimately the Dineen Cup Championship in Idaho Falls. During the playoff run, South Shore posted an impressive 13–1 record en route to the league title. Ryan is committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Babson College, where he will compete for the Babson men's hockey program while pursuing his studies in business.

Benjamin Diffley is honored to introduce himself as a member of this committee. He is 24 years old and recently graduated from Williams College with a BA in Environmental Studies. While at Williams, Benjamin was fortunate enough to start over 70 games as a member of the varsity soccer team, including a 2022 NCAA Tournament run to the National Championship. He earned All-American honors in 2022 and 2024, as well as All-NESCAC honors in those years. The greatest honor of his Williams soccer career was being elected Captain by his teammates and coaches in 2024. Prior to Williams, Benjamin attended Deerfield Academy for one year as a postgraduate student. At Deerfield, he was given valuable time to develop his academic and athletic passions while also gaining a sense of what it would be like to live in the region. He was named to the Dean’s List and received the Dr. Robert H. L. Chu Soccer Award, honoring the most outstanding player on the boys' varsity soccer team. Benjamin’s successes at Deerfield were a direct result of the habits and values he built growing up. Benjamin was born in Summerville, SC — a far cry from the Berkshire Mountains, where he would spend his post-high-school years. His parents were instrumental in prioritizing education and sports for Benjamin and his two brothers. He attended Pinewood Preparatory School, a smaller school where he was encouraged to try anything and everything. There, he developed crucial leadership skills and had the opportunity to put them into practice. Elected captain of the varsity tennis, soccer, and basketball teams, Benjamin gained leadership experience that transcended any particular sport or environment. He learned how to work effectively as part of a team and create an environment that people respected. For these qualities, he received the West Point Leadership Award and was recognized by the local newspaper as the winner of the 2019 Prep Sports Male Leadership Award. Benjamin graduated from Pinewood in 2019 with a Headmaster’s Diploma and was also recognized athletically with the Male Scholar-Athlete Award. He could not be more excited to be part of the RD3 team!

Jacqueline Diffley grew up in Burlington, MA attending Burlington public schools before heading to Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N) in seventh grade (2010*). While at BB&N, Jacqueline played field hockey, ice hockey, and softball. By her senior year, she was a three-sport varsity captain. Despite playing three sports, hockey remained her favorite, and the sport she knew she wanted to pursue in college. While at BB&N, she also played club hockey for the East Coast Wizards (Bedford, MA). Playing competitive club and prep hockey allowed Jacqueline to commit to St. Lawrence University (SLU) by her senior year. Knowing this would be a jump in level and maturity, Jacqueline decided to do a postgraduate year at Phillips Andover after graduating from BB&N in 2015. She continued playing field hockey, hockey, and softball at PA. While she greatly enjoyed all three seasons there, she loves most telling her peers about winning the Class A championship in field hockey in the fall of 2015! After graduating from PA in 2016, Jacqueline entered SLU ready for the challenge both academically and athletically. While at SLU, Jacqueline played in 127 games and tallied 18 career points. She earned ECAC-All Academic Team all four years and Dean's List in spring 2019 and 2020. She majored in History and minored in Sports Studies/Exercise Science. Jacqueline loved her time at SLU in the classroom and on the ice. Her favorite moment there undoubtedly was scoring the lone and winning goal vs. Clarkson her senior year in the newly renovated Appleton Arena. It is a moment she will never forget! With the covid pandemic arrival, Jacqueline’s on campus graduation from SLU was delayed until the summer of 2021. Soon after graduating, she was interested in finding a career in sports, so she decided to pursue a master’s degree. After researching programs, she landed on Boston College, her late mother’s alma mater, where she earned a degree in Sports Administration. She now lives and works at the Groton School in Groton, MA where she serves as the Visits Coordinator in the admission office, coaches field hockey and hockey, and also is a dorm head. She really enjoys spending time on campus and being around so many talented and intelligent faculty members and student-athletes.