This past weekend, Harker alumni Melissa Chen ’08, Kacie Kaneyuki ’10, Rebecca Liu ’13 and Daniza Rodriguez ’13 – who is also the upper school girls basketball coach – participated in some friendly competition with Harker students in this year’s alumni basketball game. Several alums who planned on competing unfortunately could not attend, so the alumni team was graciously joined by junior varsity coaches Melissa Cabrera and Pip Chan. The first alumni basketball game was held in 2013 and takes place every year over the Thanksgiving break.
On Saturday, three outstanding alumni – Alex Abarca ’09, Daniza Rodriguez ’13 and Amanda (Polzin) Sullivan ’06 – were 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. Sullivan and former volleyball team member Candace Silva-Martin ’09 were unable to attend in-person and Zoomed into the ceremony from home.
A highly prolific scorer, Abarca was a four-time boys varsity basketball MVP for the Eagles and posted more than 1,700 points. In his junior year, he was named the Private School Athletic League MVP. As a senior he was named to the WBAL First Team, a San Jose Mercury News Athlete of the Week, declared Harker Athlete of the Year and received the Eagle Award, which is given to athletes who demonstrate extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm, expressed in their willingness to help their teammates, act as role models and offer their maximum effort to every task. He graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in business management economics from UC Santa Cruz, where he also played basketball. Abarca now lives in San Jose and works as an accounting manager at AEye Inc., and is married and a father to a 7-month-old son.
In addition to being named co-MVP of the girls varsity basketball team in her senior year, Amanda Sullivan (née Polzin) received an honorable mention for the All-West Bay Athletic League Team. While performing as a key member of the team, Sullivan — who was born with amniotic band syndrome — also dedicated her time to serving student athletes with disabilities. She began volunteering with the Special Olympics, which eventually led to her winning the top prize in the San Jose Sports Authority’s REACH (Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard Work) Youth Scholarship Program, an annual award given to Bay Area high school student athletes who have met significant challenges in order to achieve in both athletics and academics. She went on to study human development in college and found a fulfilling career in social work. Sullivan currently resides in North Carolina and is married with two children.
Daniza Rodriguez set a number of records in her time as a member of the girls varsity basketball team. She at one point held the record for most career points (1,214), most points in a season (511) and the best start to a season for any Harker athletics team (11-1). She received many accolades over the course of her upper school career, receiving Harker’s Female Athlete of the Year award in her sophomore and junior years, winning the Eagle Award in her junior and senior years and being named the WBAL Skyline League MVP and to the Skyline League First Team All League. She went on to play women’s basketball at Whittier College and has since returned to San Jose, where she works as a space planner at Cushman & Wakefield. In 2018, she assumed the role of coach for the girls varsity basketball team, which had a historic season that included a first-ever league title win and an appearance in the CCS finals.
The 2007 girls volleyball team remains one of the most successful teams in Harker’s athletic history. The team’s historic 38-5 run included a 12-0 league record, a win at the Maui Classic tournament and the first appearance Central Coast Section ranking ever achieved by a Harker athletics team. The season culminated in an appearance at the state finals against Santa Fe Valley Christian, in which the Eagles fell short but nevertheless left a permanent impression with their phenomenal talent, work ethic and record-setting performances. Featuring no fewer than three Harker Athletics hall of famers — Tanya Schmidt ’08, Kristina Bither ’09 and Candace Silva-Martin ’09 — and coached by decorated Harker veteran Theresa “Smitty” Smith, this team stands as one of the deepest in Harker athletic history to ever take any field or court. Due to their contributions not only to the team’s success but to this landmark chapter in Harker’s athletic legacy, all members of the team were recognized with this special induction.
As the Harker community reveled during the festivities of Harker Day this past weekend, alumni Cole Davis ’10, Drew Goldstein ’13 and Jessica Khojasteh ’11 became the latest inductees into the 2021 Harker Athletic Hall of Fame during a special ceremony held at the Harker Athletic Center.
Dan Molin, Harker’s athletic director, introduced each of this year’s inductees to the assembled audience of parents, friends, teachers and coaches. The first to be introduced was Davis, a three-sport athlete who competed in football and wrestling for his entire upper school career and in wrestling for two of those years. A Harker lifer, Davis was described by Molin as “tough, physical and a team player.” As a football player, he helped Harker reach its first ever playoff appearance and had a career-high 20 tackles against San Jose High. He was a formidable wrestler as well, and in his freshman year pinned a senior who reportedly went on to be a state-level competitor. In swimming, he was an All-American in his sophomore, junior and senior years and placed second in CCS in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle.
Goldstein, the next inductee, was described by Molin as “the definition of ironman. Not only did this gentleman play three sports for all four years at Harker, he played just about every position in the sports of football, basketball and baseball.” He captained the baseball team in his junior and senior years, and was captain of the football team in his senior year. Goldstein’s incredible work ethic led to the creation of the Drew Goldstein Commitment Award, which is awarded to Harker athletes who compete in three sports per year for all four of their years at the upper school.
The final inductee, Jessica Khojasteh, “was always on top of our list” of eventual inductees, Molin said. She was one of Harker’s most successful swimmers, earning four varsity letters and becoming the school’s first CCS champion in any individual or team sport after winning 2010 CCS championship in the 200-meter individual medley. She was also named to the 2011 Scholastic Championship team, was a four-time All-American, a three-time league MVP and in 2010 was named Harker’s Female Athlete of the Year. She also set no fewer than six Harker records: in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-meter freestyle events; the 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter IM.
After receiving their awards, the inductees together removed the curtain to reveal the newly updated Hall of Fame display, which sits in the Harker Athletic Center.
It’s been a busy several days for Harker alumni athletes. Golfer Maverick McNealy ’13, pursuing his first PGA win, took second place at the Fortinet Championship over the weekend with a score of -18, just behind winner Max Homa. Current Harker golfer Allison Yang, grade 9, met McNealy before competition on Sunday. “She wished him good luck and [told him] to play Harker smart,” said Harker golf coach Ie-Chen Cheng. “Allison was stoked that Maverick took the time out to talk to her.”
Meanwhile, Emily Cheng ’20 helped MIT women’s volleyball win the MIT Invitational on Sept. 11. Also playing in that event was Ashley Jezbec ’20, who played for Bowdoin College. Cheng was named the MVP event with 47 assists and 14 digs.
In October, Harker alumni Cole Davis ‘10, Drew Goldstein ‘13 and Jessica Khojasteh ‘11 will be inducted into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame. The three former student athletes will be honored for their athletic achievements and for their exemplary efforts in becoming global citizens. The induction ceremony will be part of the Harker Day celebration on Oct. 9, which also will include the annual Homecoming football game and the Family & Alumni Picnic. For more information, email news@harker.org. Come on out and support these incredible alumni!
On Friday night, four Harker alumni – A.J. Reid ‘04, Chris Davis ‘03, Candace Silva-Martin ‘09 and Isabelle Connell ‘13 – were inducted into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame during a special virtual ceremony. During the event, upper school athletic director Dan Molin and middle and lower school athletic director Theresa “Smitty” Smith each shared some warm words about each of this year’s inductees, who were honored not just for their athletic prowess but also for their commitment to Harker’s goal of creating well-rounded global citizens.
A.J. Reid ‘04, who was a multi-sport athlete during his entire time at Harker, was named MVP of the varsity football team in his senior year after rushing for 908 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. He also was recognized for his achievements as a wide receiver, making 42 receptions for 718 yards and seven touchdowns. In basketball, Reid played a key role in Harker’s first ever CCS playoff victory and was named both team and league MVP his senior year. Reid continued to play sports after high school, competing in club volleyball as a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and helping his team win the NIRSA National Volleyball Championship, for which he was awarded MVP.
A four-sport athlete while at Harker, Chris Davis ’03 competed in football, wrestling, soccer and baseball and was team captain for the varsity baseball and football teams. Davis was the second Harker football player to be chosen to play in the Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star football game, and the first from Harker to play college football. Davis played Division 3 football as a student at Claremont McKenna College and was a standout defensive player, reaching the school’s fifth-highest number of interceptions in a single season and being named defensive MVP and Second Team All-West for Division 3. He is a co-founder and CEO of the fan commerce site Loot Crate.
Volleyball phenom Candace Silva-Martin ’09 was, along with fellow Hall of Famer Tanya Schmidt ’08, a key member of the 2007 upper school volleyball squad that reached the CCS finals and CIF state championships. In her junior and senior years, she was named All-County by the San Jose Mercury News, and was an All-West Bay Athletic League selection no fewer than four times. In her senior year, Silva-Martin was named a Super Eagle for competing in three sports in a single school year. While at George Washington University, Silva-Martin was named Atlantic 10 Conference defensive player of the week, Atlantic 10 rookie of the week and co-defensive player of the week in her first year, and is the Atlantic 10 Conference’s all-time digs leader.
Isabelle Connell ’13, a cross country and track and field competitor while at Harker, still holds four of the five school records she set as a Harker student. She was also one of the first two Harker track athletes to compete at the California Interscholastic Federation meet, along with Sumit Minocha ’13. She also received the Iron Eagle award – given to Harker athletes who demonstrate the highest degree of dedication to their school and teammates during off-season and pre-season in addition to the regular season – and the Director’s Award, which is bestowed upon seniors who played at least one sport for four years, received recognition at the state or section level and demonstrated commitment, leadership and a strong work ethic.
For more on this subject, check out the winter issue of Harker Magazine coming to mailboxes at the end of December. In the article, Sophomores Speak, the Class of 2016 weighs in on some of the pitfalls, challenges and fun of that first year in college.
At yesterday’s LIFE (Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm) assembly, seniors had the opportunity to hear from Harker alumni about their college experiences, and what to expect and look forward to once they reach college. Nikhil Panu ’13, a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University, was joined by three additional alumni who spoke to the students via Skype: Haley Tran ’17, currently at Stanford; Sheridan Tobin ’15, now in her third year at the University of Michigan; and Sean Pan ’14, studying at the University of Washington.
Speaking on the idea of getting into the “college of your dreams,” Panu related the story of how he seemed all set to enter MIT upon graduating from Harker before things fell through. Initially disappointed, he eventually ended up at Johns Hopkins, which he found was very receptive to his dream of playing college basketball. “It was really cool to be wanted,” he said. Furthermore, he later found out that MIT might not have been a great fit for him anyway, saying, “You’ll find your ways to make things work.”
Tobin chose Michigan because it matched up with her desire to find a college that offered opportunities to explore many interests. Pan said he did not consider UW a primary option when searching for colleges, but later found out it was the better fit for his goals.
On the topic of adjusting to college life, Tran said, “A big part of adjusting to college is the scheduling,” noting that college students have more autonomy and choices about how to spend their time, which they may find difficult at first. The lessons students learned at Harker on how to schedule time effectively, she said, could prove very useful to them.
The alumni also shared some of the spontaneous things they’ve done so far during their college years. Panu went on a number of road trips and also started a company called Squadz, which he described as “Airbnb for sports and recreation.” He came up with the idea while on a flight from San Francisco to Baltimore. Before his junior year at UW, Pan went on a road trip that hit Montana, Salt Lake City, Tahoe and the Bay Area.
Seniors also were advised on campus safety practices, including making sure that friends stay aware of one another’s status and whereabouts, using apps such as Uber for transportation, and making use of campus support lines and other resources.
Students in attendance also were encouraged to use college as a way to seek out new interests. Panu mentioned the variety of electives that colleges offer, and Tobin mentioned that her goals for college changed after she had spent time exploring opportunities. “What I thought I wanted to do when I was applying was different from what I did,” she said. “Even if you think you know what you want to do, take things because you think they’re interesting.”
Watch for our feature article, Sophomores Speak: That First Year of College, in the upcoming issue of Harker Magazine. It will arrive in mailboxes in late December.
Ashvin Swaminathan ’13 was recently awarded Harvard’s David Mumford Undergraduate Mathematics Prize, which is given to the “most promising” outstanding seniors who have chosen mathematics as a concentration, according to the Harvard University website. Swaminathan will graduate from Harvard this month with degrees in mathematics and physics. Last month he was awarded a Soros Fellowship for New Americans, earning additional funding for his graduate studies in mathematics, which he plans to begin in the fall at Princeton.