Toya Ellis
Women's Water Polo
1991 - Biology - Muir College
Toya Ellis (’91) knows what it takes to be a winner. She was a key member of the UC San Diego Women’s Water Polo team that won the National Championships in 1990, achieved her lifelong dream of going to medical school -graduating with honors - and fulfilled her ultimate goal of becoming a successful Obstetrics & Gynecology doctor. She now resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two teenage children, teaching her daughters that pursuing your ambitions with hard work and dedication is the key to success.
Toya’s water polo journey began the summer before her freshman year of college, when she decided to try playing with her brother’s team. She was an athlete throughout high school, competing on sports such as basketball, volleyball, and track, but she had never played water polo. Toya discovered that she loved the sport, and decided to ask Denny Harper to join the UC San Diego Women’s team. The rest is history: she steadily improved her skills as a player over the next four years and helped her team to a National Championship victory in 1990.
While she shone in the water, Toya also excelled in the classroom, knowing she had to do well to achieve her ultimate goal of being accepted to medical school and becoming a doctor. Ever since she first learned about the human skeleton in the sixth grade, Toya dreamed of becoming a doctor. With her competitive attitude and desire to win, Toya succeeded in being accepted into USC Medical School after her graduation from UC San Diego. Medical school was certainly a challenge, but Toya says that her college athletic experience helped her push through the long journey of becoming a doctor: “If you can make it through Hell Week each of the four years with polo, you can make it through the four years of OB/GYN residency!”
The field of women’s health originally appealed to Toya because she wanted to be involved in both surgery and primary care. She explored various fields, but found that compared to others, she was most passionate about women’s health. Now, she specializes in gynecology and performs complicated surgeries.
Being a Triton alumni athlete still means the world to Toya: “some of my lifelong friends come together a few times a year to see each other, laugh about old times and make new memories.” The experiences she shared with her teammates as a UC San Diego Triton student-athlete have created an inseparable bond. To this day, Toya holds these memories close: “In my office, I keep the championship team pool deck photo and see it each day. The smiles on our faces say it all! Go Triton Women’s Water Polo!”
Alumni Spotlight is written by student-athlete Lauren Iannetta (’17), a history major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. She is a second year on the women’s rowing team. If you are interested in sharing your Triton Alumni Athlete story, please contact Danielle Boyle Melman at daboyle@ucsd.edu.
