Santaclarabroncos.com – June 11, 2012: Volleyball star Tanya Schmidt ’08 is featured in a story about receiving an award at the NCAA’s West Coast Conference awards dinner, which included a brief chat with the president of the NCAA.
The New York Times – May 27, 2012: Former Harker teacher Priscilla Chan is featured in an article about her recent marriage to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. She was also profiled by CNN.com.
San Jose Mercury News – May 2, 2012: Rising senior and softball player Alison Rugar is mentioned in the Highlight Reel section of Varsity Extra for her 13-strikeout performance in Harker’s win over Mercy-Burlingame, in which she also scored a home run, and for her 16 strikeouts against Menlo.
Microsoft JobsBlog – May 10, 2012:Sean Turner ’06, who interned at Microsoft Silicon Valley and now works there as an engineer, is profiled in the company’s JobsBlog.
Duke Magazine – March-April 2012: An article in the university’s magazine about admissions mentions and cites information provided by Harker college counselor Martin Walsh.
Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area – March 27, 2012:Recent graduate Max Maynard is featured in a story about his perseverance as a track athlete despite experiencing kidney problems, which required two surgeries. Track coach Brian Dougall and rising junior Claudia Tischler are also interviewed.
Indiawest – April 2, 2012:Recent graduates Prag Batra and Govinda Dasu, both Intel semifinalists, are featured in an article about their website, War of Word, which allows visitors to draft, debate and vote on political resolutions on a multitude of issues.
This article was originally published in the summer 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, announced in May that The Harker School has received a six-year term of accreditation from the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is the highest accreditation term and “a vote of confidence that we as an institution can monitor our own growth and chart our own path into the future,” said Nikoloff. Receiving the highest term of accreditation is the result of our community’s hard work and dedication to deliver excellence to students in all areas. Nikoloff noted the accreditation is “an expression of trust from our member associations that we will continue to seek improvement, growth and sustainability around the mission of wholly and healthily educating our children.” Thanks and congratulations to our whole community!
Two Harker sprinters qualified for the CCS track and field finals this past Friday night at Gilroy High School. Junior Isabelle Connell qualified in the 400-meter run with a time of 58.53, placing eighth, and just missed qualifying in the 200-meter final, placing 12th with a time of 25.80.
Junior Sumit Minocha qualified in the 200-meter run placing fifth overall with a time of 22.13. Please congratulate these truly elite athletes on their accomplishments and come cheer them on this Friday night!
Also, congratulations to thrower Michael Chen and two-miler Tyler Yeats, both grade 11, for qualifying and participating in the semifinals Saturday. See complete results here.
Spring sports regular seasons are wrapping up and Harker athletes are scoring right and left!
Upper School Swimming
Harker’s boys and girls swim teams competed in the CCS championships with some fantastic results. While CCS comprises more than 100 schools stretching from San Francisco to King City, Harker had many top 10 finishes. Overall, the girls tied for 16th place and the boys tied for ninth place.
Girls 200-meter medley relay – Katie Siegel, Lucy Cheng, Kimberly Ma, all grade 12, and Amie Chien, grade 11: 11th place
Boys 200-meter medley relay – Kevin Khojasteh, Daryl Neubieser, both grade 12, Aaron Huang and Craig Neubieser, both grade 9: seventh place
Girls 200-meter free relay – Tiffany Wong, Amie Chien, Rachelle Koch, all grade 12, and Manon Aubert, grade 10: 14th place
Girls 400-meter free relay – Katie Siegel, Rachelle Koch, Kimberly Ma, all grade 12, and Manon Aubert, grade 10: 14th place
Boys 400-meter free relay – Kevin Khojasteh, Daryl Neubieser, both grade 12, Aaron Huang and Craig Neubieser, both grade 9: 12th place
Boys 200-meter individual medley – Kevin Khojasteh, grade 12: fourth place
Boys 100-meter breaststroke – Kevin Khojasteh: seventh place
Boys 50-meter freestyle – Daryl Neubieser: fifth place
Boys 100-meter freestyle – Daryl Neubieser: third place
Girls 100-meter backstroke – Katie Siegel: second place
Upper School Track and Field
Track and field competed in the league finals with some impressive results. The junior varsity boys team won the league championship! Individuals qualifying for CCS trials held May 12 were Michael Chen, Isabelle Connell, Sumit Minocha, Tyler Yeats, all grade 11, and Corey Gonzales, grade 9.
Varsity Boys Finals
Team ranking: fourth place (of nine schools)
100 meter: Sumit Minocha, 11.20 seconds, first place
200 meter: Sumit Minocha, 22.67 seconds, first place
3,200 meter: Tyler Yeats, 10:24.16, first place; Corey Gonzales, 10:24.53, second place
Shot put: Michael Chen, 41 ft. 9 in., second place; Matthew Giammona, grade 11, 38 ft. 11 in., fourth place
Discus: Michael Chen, 117 ft. 7.5 in., third place
Varsity Girls Finals
Team ranking: fifth place (of 12 schools)
1,600 meter: Claudia Tischler, grade 10, 5:21.74, third place (Only 0.33 seconds from taking second place)
400 meter: Isabelle Connell, 58.83 seconds, second place
200 meter: Isabelle Connell, 26.01 seconds, first place
3,200 meter: Ragini Bhattacharya, grade 11, 12:12 minutes, fourth place
Junior Varsity Finals
Team ranking: first place (out of nine schools)
400 meter: Vincent Lin, grade 10, 1:00.96, second place
100 meter: Jerry Shen, 13.30, third place
200 meter: Vincent Lin, 27.33, first place; Jerry Shen, 27.37, second place
Shot put: Nishaant Murali, 31 ft. 9 in., first place; Ravi Bhandia, 30 ft. 8.5 in., second place; Rohan Kapatkar, 30 ft 6.5 in., fourth place
Discus: Ravi Bhandia, 99 ft. 6 in., first place, Raghav Sehtia, 89 ft. 2 in., second place; Rohan Kapatkar, 89 ft. 1.5 in., third place; Nishaant Murali, 83 ft. 1 in., fourth place
Lower and Middle School Update
Harker lower and middle schools sports teams have been enjoying a spectacular spring season. Several teams are in the hunt for a league championship.
Middle School Tennis
The middle school tennis team competes in two tennis leagues. On May 8, they defeated perennial powerhouse Menlo, 8-1, to take the WBAL tennis championship! On May 9 they competed for the MTP title v. Fisher. The team entered the championship with a perfect 12-0 season.
Grade 8 Varsity Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team played Menlo May 9 for the WBAL title. They entered the game 6-0 and without a single lost set in a match.
Grade 8 Varsity Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team is in the hunt for the ADAL title with a record of 9-0. They have two matches remaining to reach their goal.
Grade 5 Junior Varsity B1 Girls Volleyball
This grade 5 volleyball team competed against Pinewood on May 10 for the WBAL title. Coming into the match, the team had a undefeated 5-0 record without a single lost set.
As spring sports wind up, the laurals are being awarded! Six out of Harker’s 10 volleyball teams have won their league titles and varsity A tennis, Grades 6-8, is peaking and heads to playoffs. Read coach Theresa (Smitty) Smith’s report:
Grade 8 varsity A girls volleyball has not lost a match in the last two years, went 7-0 this season, good enough for WBAL champions.
Grade 7 varsity B girls volleyball finished 6-1, good enough for WBAL tri-champions.
Grade 6 junior varsity B6 girls volleyball finished 6-2, good enough for WBAL tri-champions.
Grade 5 junior varsity B1 girls volleyball finished 5-1, good enough for WBAL co-champions.
Boys
Grade 8 varsity A boys volleyball finished 10-1, good enough for ADAL champions.
Grade 7 varsity B boys volleyball finished 6-2, good enough for ADAL champions.
Tennis:
Varsity A tennis, grades 6-8, finished the WBAL season at 8-0, and won the WBAL playoff championship v. Menlo, 6-3. They are currently 8-0 in the MTP and play in the semifinals next Monday and the finals next Wednesday. They currently hold an overall record of 16-0!
Boys varsity volleyball defeated Los Gatos High School 15-12 in the fifth and deciding game at Los Gatos. Junior varsity volleyball was victorious as well. Andrew Zhu, grade 10, and Zach Ellenberg, grade 12, led the team in kills and Josh Tien, grade 11, led in assists.
Boys volleyball competed in the Bellarmine Tournament the weekend of April 21 going 2-4 with victories over Valley Christian and King’s Academy. Another highlight was a 25-23 game-one loss to state power Bellarmine on Friday. The boys travel to Monta Vista on April 26.
Softball
Softball defeated Pinewood on April 19 12-2. Ashley Del Alto, grade 11, pitched a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Alison Rugar, grade 11, had two doubles and four RBIs. Sarah Bean, grade 9, Laura Thacker, grade 10, Angela Singh, grade 12, Vivian Isenberg and Del Alto also had hits.
Softball defeated Alma Heights on April 20 2-0 to improve to 7-6-2 overall, 3-2 in league. The girls have three games this week including April 23 (away) and home games on April 24 and April 26.
Lacrosse
On April 19, girls lacrosse earned their sixth straight win with a score of 15-9 over Santa Catalina. Goal scorers were: Wendy Shwe, grade 11 (five), Michelle Douglas, grade 11 (four), Hannah Bollar, grade 9 (four) and Tiphane Delepine, grade 11 (two).
Girls lacrosse defeated Woodside on April 20 14-7 for their eighth consecutive victory! The girls have two big home games on April 24 and April 26.
Golf
The boys golf team is vying for their share of the league title on April 23 versus Menlo.
Katherine Zhu, grade 6, has been doing particularly well in her golf tournaments. On the weekend of April 21, during the North California Junior Champion Tournament, she shot 71 even par from the white tee (6,100 yards) and took second place.
Track and Field
A select group of Harker track athletes competed in the CCS Top 8 Meet, one of the most prestigious track meets in Northern California, on April 20 with some outstanding results:
Isabelle Connell, grade 11: fourth in the 400 meter (58.73), eighth in 200 meter (25.85)
Sumit Minocha, grade 11: third in the 200 meter (22.20)
Claudia Tischler, grade 10: 20thin the mile, 5:26.43
Ragini Bhattacharya, grade 11: 21stin the mile, 5:26.54
Harker track teams compete in league finals in two weeks.
Swimming
The boys and girls swim teams soundly defeated Priory, Pinewood, Crystal Springs and Mercy-SF last week. On the varsity girls side, there were great swims by Manon Audebert, grade 10, Lucy Cheng, grade 12, Tiffany Wong, grade 12, Rachelle Koch, grade 12, Amie Chien, grade 11, Keri Clifford, grade 11, and Rachel Yanovsky, grade 11. On the varsity boys side, seniors Akshay Ramachandran, Daryl Neubieser, Andrew Lee and Kevin Khojasteh; freshmen Aaron Huang and Billy Bloomquist; and Karan Das-Grande, grade 11, had great meets. Eleven grade 12 students will be honored Wednesday, which also happens to be their toughest league meet of the season. Come support the seniors: Lucy Cheng, Tariq Jahshan, Kevin Khojasteh, Rachelle Koch, Andrew Lee, Cole Manaster, Daryl Neubieser, Akshay Ramachandran, Katie Siegel, Tiffany Wong, and Albert Wu. The senior ceremony starts at 3:50 p.m.
Baseball
Baseball defeated Cupertino on April 21 in a non-league contest 7-4 to improve to 7-10 overall. Noah Levy, grade 12, went two for three with a triple and two RBIs. The boys have three games this week including a home game on April 25 versus Crystal Springs.
Senior Swimmers will be honored on April 25th at 3:50 p.m. at the Singh Aquatic Center on the Harker Saratoga Campus Please join us as we say thank you to: Albert Wu, Tiffany Wong, Kathryn Siegel, Akshay Ramachandran, Daryl Neubeiser, Cole Manaster, Andrew Lee, Rachelle Koch, Kevin Khojasteh, Tariq Jahshan and Lucy Cheng.
Girls lacrosse defeated Notre Dame yesterday 9-7. Michelle Douglas, grade 11; Hannah Bollar, grade 9 and Wendy Shwe, grade 11, had three goals each. The girls are now 7-5 overall, 4-0 and first place in league! This year’s group has already earned the most victories in the program’s history.
In track and field action junior Isabelle Connell raced in the prestigious Serra High Top 7 Meet last Saturday, placing first in the 400 meter with a time of 59.8 and second (with a new personal record) in the 200 meter with a time of 26.07.
Boys volleyball defeated King’s Academy Tuesday 3-1 to improve to 10-12 overall. Andrew Zhu, grade 10, had 19 kills in the victory. The boys travel to Los Gatos on April 19 and to Bellarmine on April 20.
Boys tennis had a tough match yesterday at Sacred Heart, losing 5-2 to drop to 9-5 overall. Bright spots were #1 Derek Tzeng, grade 12, and the #1 doubles team of Nikhil Narayen, grade 12, and Chris Chang, grade 11. The boys host Menlo-Atherton April 19.
Softball lost to a strong-hitting Castilleja team yesterday 5-1 to drop to 5-6-2 overall and 2-2 in league. Alison Rugar, grade 11, hit a triple. Other hits were recorded by Ashley Del Alto, grade 11, and Laura Thacker, grade 10. The girls host Pinewood on April 19.
Boys golf suffered its second defeat of the season at the hands of Sacred Heart 209-194 to drop to 6-2 overall. Maverick McNealy, grade 11, led all golfers with a 35 at Sharon Heights.
April 11, 2012
Eagle update! Boys golf defeated Crystal Springs Monday 191-221 and Pinewood yesterday 186-210 to improve to 6-1 on the season. Maverick McNealy, grade 11, continues to blister the competition shooting a 33 and 31 this week. The team faces SHP Monday.
Baseball defeated Gunderson Monday 4-0 to improve to 6-7 overall. Junior Kevin Cali had a great game going 3 for 4 at the plate with a run scored. He also pitched a complete game allowing only two hits. The boys travel to Gunn Friday.
By Dan Molin
April 10, 2012
Girls lacrosse is currently first place in league after defeating Mercy-Burlingame 13-11 on Davis Field. Wendy Shwe, grade 11, scored five goals and Christine Lee, grade 10, had 21 saves in goal. The girls are on a three-game win streak and hope to make it four in a row with a victory over Sequoia at Harker Wednesday.
The girls swim team had a great home meet on March 28, defeating both Notre Dame and Castilleja. Harker won 10 of 11 events, including a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100-yard butterfly by Katie Siegel, grade 12, Manon Audebert, grade 10, and Lucy Cheng, grade 12.
The 200-medley relay of Kimberly Ma, grade 10, Amie Chien, grade 11, Cheng and Siegel won and qualified for CCS.
The 200-free relay of Audebert, Chien, Rachelle Koch and Tiffany Wong, both grade 12, won and qualified for CCS.
The 400-free relay of Audebert, Siegel, Wong and Ma also won and qualified for CCS.
Audebert won the 200 free, qualifying for CCS; Ma won the 200 IM and 500 free, qualifying for CCS in both.
Siegel won the 100 fly and the 100 back, qualifying for CCS in both. Koch won both the 100 free and 100 breast events.
In the boys intersquad meet, Kevin Khojasteh, grade 12, shattered the Harker 500-yard freestyle record, previously set by Daryl Neubieser, grade 9. Karan Das-Grande, grade 11 and Albert Chu, grade 10, also had great swims in the 100 fly and 100 free. The swimmers will head to the Los Banos Invitational this Saturday. Wish them luck!
Varsity boys tennis went 3-0 before the break with wins over Homestead, Priory and King’s Academy, completing its season with a dominating 7-0 victory. Derek Tzeng, grade 12, played his best match of the year and won 6-1, 6-1. All the doubles teams won easily. Chris Chang and Nikhil Narayen, grades 11 and12, won at #1, 6-1, 6-0; Rahul Desirazu andJason Chu, grades 11 and 9, won 6-2, 6-0; and Nikhil Panu and Justin Yang, both grade 11, completed the doubles domination, 6-0, 6-1. The boys are 6-4 overall, 5-2 in league and face Crystal Springs Tues., April 10.
At the second league track and field meet of the season, Isabelle Connell, grade 11, placed first in both the 200 meter and 400 meter. Sumit Minocha, grade 11, took first in both the 200 meter and 100 meter. Tyler Yeats, grade 11, and Corey Gonzales, grade 9, were first and second in the 1,600. Gonzales and Krish Chandani, grade 10, were third and fourth in the 800 meter. Yeats was second in the 3,200 meter. Claudia Tischler, grade 10, her first meet back from injury, got first in the 800 meter. Ragini Bhattacharya, grade 11, placed first in the 3,200 meter. Vedant Thyagaraj, grade 10, got third in the 400 meter.
Harker throwers went first, second, fourth and fifth in shot and second, third, fourth and fifth in discus. Michael Chen set a new school shot put record of 41’ 7”, eclipsing the old mark set by Thomas Enzminger ’10 by a full foot. Matt Giammona, grade 11, was second in both shot and disc.
At the prestigious Leland Invitational Saturday, Minocha won the 200 meter with a lightning fast 22.42. Michael Chen, grade 11, broke his recently-set Harker shot put record with a throw of 42’, good for seventh place. Bhattacharya and Tischler placed fifth and eighth respectively in the 1,600 meter. Results: http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=147852#1067
Both Minocha and Connell are currently ranked in the Top 10 of CCS in the 200-meter run!
Boys volleyball went 4-1 at the Watsonville Tournament, good for fifth place out of 20, and the silver division championship. The boys are now 9-10 overall and face Homestead and Lynbrook this week.
Softball defeated King’s Academy 8-2 before the break. Ashley Del Alto, grade 11, was three for four with six RBIs! Alison Rugar, grade 11, pitched 15 strikeouts. The girls try to improve upon their 5-3 record with games at Saratoga and Presentation this week.
Our golfers defeated King’s Academy, but suffered their first defeat of the season against Menlo before the break. The boys are now 4-1 and face Crystal Springs today.
Baseball gave perennial power Menlo all it could handle before the break keeping the game tied at 1-1 through six innings before Menlo eventually pulled away with the victory. Kevin Cali, grade 11, was one for three with an RBI. The boys are now 5-7 overall, 1-1 in league and have three away games this week.
Hollis Thompson, who attended Harker from 1996 to 2001 (K-4) and became a star forward for the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team, will enter the 2012 NBA draft. Thompson, a junior at Georgetown who has chosen to forgo his senior year, will finish his career as the Hoyas’ all-time three-point field goal percentage leader at 44 percent. He is also the 12th-highest three-point scorer in Georgetown history, with 128 three-point shots made.
“He was one of my favorite library students in his younger grades,” said librarian Enid Davis. “He was a very bright child. Then, he was the size of just one of his arms now!”