In October, three outstanding alumni — Alex Abarca ’09, Amanda (Polzin) Sullivan ’06 and Daniza Rodriguez ’13 — will be inducted into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame, along with the entire roster of the 2007-08 girls varsity volleyball team, one of Harker Athletics’ greatest success stories. All of these athletes will be honored for their stellar athletic performance as well as their dedication to becoming well-rounded student athletes. The induction ceremony will be part of the annual Harker Day celebration, which will also include the Homecoming football game and the Family & Alumni Picnic.
Last week, senior Ishaan Mantripragada was named the Central Coast Section Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The four-year soccer player was named WBAL All-League and WBAL Forward of the Year and was a valued member of the 2020 CCS championship team. He was also recognized for volunteering for Kicks Against Cancer, participating in the Synopsys Science & Technology Championship and receiving a 2020 President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award, all while maintaining strong academic performance. Mantripragada was one of several athletes honored at a special luncheon on Tuesday.
In other CCS news, six Harker athletics teams were named winners of 2021-22 Spring Season Scholastic Championship Team Awards last week. These awards recognize the top five varsity teams from each sport that have maintained the highest collective GPA in their respect sports during the spring athletic season. The boys baseball, boys volleyball, girls swimming, boys tennis, boys track and field and girls track and field teams were all selected to receive this award.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association named Jarrett Anderson ’19, who currently plays for Springfield College, their NCAA Division III Men’s National Player of the Year last week. A first-team NVA/AVCA All-American for three straight seasons, Anderson was a major factor in Springfield’s appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship semifinals this year. This season he recorded 264 kills, 107 digs, 78 aces and 46 blocks.
Congratulations to girls varsity basketball on their historic season, in which they saw their first-ever league title win, an appearance in the CCS finals and first-round win in the CIF NorCal tournament. Though their season ended last Thursday against Argonaut High (with a final score of 66-53), the girls went 25-3 overall and were 10-0 in league play. They will play in the WBAL Foothill division next year.
Harker varsity baseball won 14-3 last Thursday against Overfelt, coasting on great performances by seniors Mark Hu, Austin Wang and Aaron Lo, who each had a single homerun and a combined 10 RBIs. Pitcher Drew Diffenderfer, grade 9, struck out 12 batters in six innings in his first win as a high schooler. They fell to Harbor High 1-9 on Saturday, and are hoping to bounce back Thursday at home against Rancho San Juan.
Track and field opened their season on Saturday in Willow Glen. Junior Andrew Fu took first in the long jump with a distance of 21 feet, 10 inches, as well as first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11 seconds. Sophomore Veyd Patil also took first in two events with a 5:01.17 run in the 1,600-meter event and a 2:14.36 run in the 800-meter event. In discus, senior Kai Burich placed second with a throw of 123 feet, 3 inches. Juniors Rigo Gonzales, Pranav Mullappalli, Zain Vakath and Andrew Fu placed third in the 4×100 relay. Finally, junior Kara Kister finished 10th in the 800 meters and 14th in 1,600 meters.
Following Friday’s loss to Leland High in the fifth set, boys varsity volleyball is hopeful for a win this Friday against Saratoga High.
Boys tennis won 6-1 yesterday against Sacred Heart following Monday’s loss to a very strong Menlo team. They have a busy schedule this week, as they face Crystal Springs today and Pinewood on Thursday, both at home.
Girls basketball lost a close contest to Menlo in their first CCS finals appearance, with final a score of 54-49. They face Colfax tonight in the CIF NorCal tournament. Meanwhile, sophomore Anjali Yella was named the 49ers Cal-Hi Sports CCS Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2022 winter season. Congratulations to Yella on this well-deserved honor!
Boys varsity volleyball’s Friday season opener ended in a loss to Serra High School, but the team rebounded at a tournament in Watsonville this past weekend, going 3-1 to take second place overall. The team plays Mitty today at home.
Last week, boys varsity baseball lost 3-2 to Woodside. Senior Mark Hu gave a strong performance, giving up just two runs in six innings and striking out 10 hitters. Runs for Harker were earned by senior Aaron Lo and Ryan Field. They are at Fremont High tonight and play their home opener on Thursday against Overfelt.
Harker athletics posted a milestone last week, as four winter teams (boys and girls soccer and basketball) reached the CCS playoffs for the first time in school history. Congratulations to the incredible student athletes and staff for this achievement.
The girls soccer team remains undefeated after yesterday’s tie against Mercy High School and is still ranked first in the WBAL-Skyline division with a record of 14-0-0. They will be at home against Eastside College Prep for this Friday’s Kicks Against Cancer game, which starts at 4:30 p.m.
After wins on Friday and Monday, boys soccer holds an impressive 12-1-1 overall record, and is in action against Priory today. They will face Sacred Heart Prep this Friday for their Kicks Against Cancer game, set to start at 7 p.m.
At 21-1, girls basketball’s hold on first in the WBAL-Skyline division remains strong. They will face Castilleja on Thursday, which is also their Senior Night. A special ceremony will be held to honor the graduating seniors at 6:15 p.m., 15 minutes before the tipoff.
Boys basketball traveled to Sacramento on Saturday for a game against Priory at the Golden 1 Center (home of the Sacramento Kings), losing 31-52. They are 10-12 following yesterday’s loss against Menlo.
The Kicks Against Cancer game, originally scheduled for Jan. 7, has been rescheduled for Feb. 11. Please adjust your schedules accordingly and be sure to help our athletes in their mission to raise funds for Camp Okizu.
After yesterday’s victory against Mercy Springs and last week’s wins over Crystal Springs and King’s Academy, girls varsity soccer still boasts a 10-0 record going into today’s home game against Eastside College Prep.
Boys varsity soccer also sports a lossless record of 7-0-1 following their win yesterday over Priory. They are in action today at an away game against Sacred Heart Prep.
Girls varsity basketball continues to be dominant, recording 14 straight wins after defeating Mercy High yesterday at the Harker Athletic Center. They face Sacred Heart tonight. Meanwhile, boys varsity basketball hopes to pick up a win against Pinewood tonight after consecutive losses to Menlo, Priory and King’s Academy.
At 12-0, the girls basketball team’s hot streak continues. Over the winter break, they recorded wins against Menlo-Atherton and Lynbrook, followed by a 3-0 run at the North Tournament in Los Angeles. They stand in the top spot in CCS Division 4 and will face Notre Dame-San Jose on Jan. 11.
Boys basketball also went on an impressive 3-1 run over winter break, defeating Del Mar, Andrew Hill and Gunderson and qualifying for CCS. They are in league play this week, facing Crystal Springs at home on Thursday and traveling to Eastside College Prep on Saturday.
Girls and boys soccer were both successful in their respective matches on Dec. 17. The girls won 5-0 over Cupertino and now boast a 6-0 record, while the boys beat Saratoga High 4-0 and are also undefeated at 5-0-1. Be sure to catch the Kicks Against Cancer games this Friday, and help raise funds for Camp Okizu this week, as the soccer teams will be selling T-shirts, baked goods and more during lunch!
Varsity girls soccer is off to a very strong start, boasting a 3-0 record after their latest win against Del Mar. The team also has yet to allow a single goal. Their schedule this week sees them taking on Pacific Collegiate School on Wednesday and Terra Nova on Thursday, both at home.
After opening their season with a 3-0 win over Del Mar last Wednesday, varsity boys soccer played to a 2-2 tie against a tough North Salinas on Friday. They are at home against Santa Clara today and will head to Andrew Hill on Thursday before returning home to play Santa Cruz on Friday.
Girls varsity basketball is currently 4-0 – defeating Sobrato, Lincoln, San Jose and Overfelt – heading into tomorrow’s home game against King’s Academy.
Boys varsity basketball, meanwhile, bounced back from their season opening loss to Monta Vista and are now at 2-1 after last week’s wins over University Prep and BASIS. They are competing this week in the Lynbrook Winter Classic tournament.
Last week, girls soccer won their season opener against Monta Vista with a score of 5-0. They’re headed to Andrew Hill on Tuesday and will return to Harker on Thursday against Del Mar.
Girls basketball won 44-31 over Sobrato on Tuesday in their home opener. Their schedule this week sees them facing Lincoln on Tuesday, Overfelt on Thursday and San Jose High on Saturday, all at home.
After last week’s loss to Monta Vista, boys basketball looks to bounce back on Tuesday against University Prep before heading to BASIS on Friday.
Boys water polo’s historic season ended the weekend before Thanksgiving break with a 13-7 loss to Gunn High. Their CIF Northern California Championship run included wins over Dixon and Ponderosa. Congratulations to the team on a fantastic season.
On Saturday, the girls tennis team defeated Menlo for the fourth time this season to become the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Northern California champion for the first time in the program’s history, capping off a massively successful run that also saw the team earn its region’s second consecutive CCS championship.
Displaying dominance for the entire season, the team went undefeated in league play and allowed just 7 points in 10 games. The girls also met division rival Menlo four times, winning every contest, and took second place at the Point Loma Invitational in San Diego, where they defeated CIF Southern California champions Westlake.
As an additional feather in the program’s cap, the duo of Rachel Hernandez, grade 10, and Olivia Guo, grade 9, reached the semifinals of the CCS doubles tournament and Audrey Feng, grade 9, won the individual league title.