Harker runner Corey Gonzales, grade 11, won the Division 4 CCS Championships on Saturday, blazing through 2.95 miles in 15 minutes and 34 seconds to fend off 87 other runners. Gonzales and four others ran a speedy 5:00 first mile. The field narrowed to three during the second mile when Gonzales pushed ahead with a series of short bursts. Going into the third mile, Gonzales ratcheted up the pace, sprinted up “Cardiac Hill,” opened up a 30-meter lead and pulled away, winning by four seconds. One veteran coached called his performance “one of the best competitive races I have ever seen run at Crystal Springs.”
Freshman Niki Iyer also qualified for the state meet, finishing third with a time of 18:01. One of Niki’s idols, Anna Maxwell of San Lorenzo Valley, sprung out to an early lead, en route to a 16:53 mark, the fifth-fastest time in the course’s history. Iyer wisely let Maxwell go and ran a swift first mile to take second place early on. Immediately before the 2-mile mark, Valerie Morrison of Scotts Valley caught up with Iyer, making this the first race of the year where a runner caught Iyer from behind. Iyer drew even with Morrison, and the two remained neck and neck until the final 600 meters, when Morrison pulled ahead. Iyer still beat a number of other top 10 state-ranked runners, and her first mile time, 5:34, would have won the league track 1600m race. Senior Claudia Tischler also competed in the race, finishing in 20th place with a 20:01.
Iyer and Gonzales will compete in the California Cross Country State Championships on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Last week Harker scored with two cross country league champs and sent a solid contingent to the NBA. That’s right, the United Spirit Association sent Harker’s varsity and junior varsity dancers to perform at halftime during the Sacramento Kings game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Let’s get to it!
Cross Country:
Junior Corey Gonzales and freshman phenom Niki Iyer both became league champs when they won their races at the league championship cross country race last Friday at Crystal Springs. Senior Claudia Tischler, who placed 10th, will join Gonzales and Iyer in competing in the CCS Championships Saturday, also at Crystal Springs. Gonzales and Iyer are widely considered to be contenders for the state meet.
Volleyball
The girls varsity volleyball team enters the CCS tournament ranked fourth in its division after losing to Menlo and then defeating Mercy San Francisco in its final game of the year to end the season and celebrate its senior night in style. The team travels to Carmel tonight for its first-round match-up. If the girls win, they will return home to host a quarterfinal match at Blackford on Saturday night.
The JV team, meanwhile, became league champs! The team ended its year with a 9-1 record in league play and a 22-5 record overall.
Football
The JV football team upped its record to 5-1 after a thrilling, one-point squeaker of a win over North Salinas High, 20-19, at Davis Field on Saturday. In the win, Harker leapt out to a 13-0 lead after quarterback Keanu Forbes, grade 11, threw two touchdown passes to Nikhil Ramgiri, grade 10. North Salinas then scored 19 unanswered points, jumping out to a six-point lead until late in the fourth quarter when a clutch 27-yard reception by freshman receiver Nicolas Bean kept Harker’s hopes alive and set up a 39-yard touchdown catch by sophomore Johnathon Keller. Keller snagged the pass from a scrambling Forbes and sprinted it into the endzone, tying the game up at 19-19. Kicker Alyssa Amick, grade 11, avenged an earlier blocked kick with an extra point to give Harker the win. All told, Forbes threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns, and freshman Will Park ran for 38 yards. The final game of the season is on Saturday at 11am against Leigh High School at Davis Field. All students in attendance can enter into a free raffle to win prizes.
Water Polo
The boys varsity team went 2-1 in its season-ending tournament, trumping Cupertino and Santa Clara. The girls, meanwhile, lost a heartbreaker in double overtime against Wilcox in the league tournament, finally falling by a score of 11-9. Delaney Martin, grade 11, Jackie Shen, and Anushka Das all scored two goals in the loss. Anna Levine, grade 12, Lea Daran, and Yazmin Narin added goals as well. Helena Dworak, grade 10, played a tremendous game in the cage with 13 saves, including three saves in one-on-one’s in overtime.
And …
Harker’s varsity and JV dancers performed during the halftime show at a Nov. 9 NBA game between the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers. Their performance was sponsored by the United Spirit Association, whose instructors taught the material to the students the day of the game. The dancers had a great experience performing at the professional game at Sleep Train Arena.
Coming Up:
Today, the girls varsity volleyball team hits the road to play Carmel High School at 7 p.m. in a first-round CCS match-up.
On Saturday, junior varsity football wraps up its season with an 11 a.m. game against Leigh High School at Davis Field, with prizes available in a free raffle for fans in attendance. At noon, three of Harker’s runners — Corey Gonzales, Niki Iyer, and Claudia Tischler — compete in the CCS Cross Country Championships. If the girls varsity volleyball team wins tonight, it will return home on Saturday night to host a quarterfinal match at Blackford at 7 p.m.
This week, the boys and girls varsity water polo teams and the varsity girls tennis team are preparing for their league tournaments, while the varsity girls volleyball team prepares for the final senior night of the fall season. Meanwhile, Kristine Lin, grade 12, has become the most-accomplished girls golfer in Harker history. The end of the fall season is upon us and the playoffs are coming up! Here are the results from the last week of Harker athletics:
Water Polo:
ALL THREE TEAMS BEAT CUPERTINO AHEAD OF THIS WEEK’S LEAGUE TOURNAMENTS
All three water polo teams beat Cupertino last Thursday to celebrate Harker’s senior day in style. For the girls, Anna Levine, grade 12, and Delaney Martin, grade 11, each scored two goals, and Lea Daran, grade 12, added another to lead the team to a 5-4 victory. Goalie Helena Dworak, grade 10, had eight blocks. The varsity boys crushed the Pioneers 15-3, then competed in the Homestead Tournament over the weekend. The highlight of the tournament for Harker was the boys’ 13-7 victory over Liberty High. In that game, Eric Holt, grade 11, led the team with four goals. Jeremy Binkley, grade 11, scored three times. Raymond Xu, grade 9, had two goals, and Karan Kurbur, grade 12, and Billy Bloomquist, grade 11, each had one.
Both the boys and the girls play in league tournaments this next week. The girls play Wilcox at Cupertino at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, while the boys will play Thursday through Saturday at Saratoga High.
Golf:
KRISTINE LIN BECOMES MOST DECORATED GOLFER IN HARKER HISTORY
Kristine Lin, grade 12, is now the most-decorated girls golfer in Harker history after breaking yet another Harker record, shooting a 79 in CCS competition to place 24th out of 100 golfers. Lin was this year’s league champion, making this the second year in a row in which she has captured that title.
Volleyball:
GIRLS GO 1-1 AFTER NAIL-BITER AGAINST ST. FRANCIS
Girls volleyball defeated Priory in straight sets last week, then lost a five-set nail-biter to perennial powerhouse St. Francis on Friday night in front of a raucous Harker crowd. Divya Kalidindi, grade 12, led the Eagles with 20 kills. On Tuesday, the girls host first place Menlo, then will play their senior night against Mercy San Francisco on Thursday. Their senior night is the final senior night of the fall season.
Tennis:
GIRLS HEAD INTO LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Girls tennis finished its regular season at 9-6 after a loss to Castilleja and win against Notre Dame last week. Today, the girls compete in the league tournament at Menlo.
Football
UNDEFEATED DREAM ENDS FOR JV
The junior varsity team suffered its first loss of the year on Friday against Cupertino. The team scored on a touchdown pass from Keanu Forbes, grade 11, to Nikhil Ramgiri, grade 10, and an extra point kick by Alyssa Amick, grade 11. The team hosts North Salinas on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Davis Field.
Cross Country:
GONZALES AND IYER BOTH RANKED IN STATE LISTINGS
In the California Interscholastic Federation’s Individual Divisional Rankings, Harker’s Corey Gonzales, grade 11, is ranked 10th among Division 4 boys, while freshman Niki Iyer is ranked sixth among Division 4 girls. Cross country competes in the WBAL Championship this Friday.
Coming Up:
Today, the varsity girls tennis team plays in the league tournament at Menlo. Both girls volleyball teams play Menlo at home, with junior varsity playing at 4:30 p.m. and varsity playing at 5:45 p.m. Then, at 6:45 p.m., the varsity girls water polo team plays Wilcox High School in an away game.
All teams are off on Wednesday. On Thursday, both varsity water polo teams have games, with the girls playing in the SCVAL tournament and the boys playing Fremont High School on the road at 4:20 p.m. Both girls volleyball teams have games at home against Mercy High San Francisco. Junior varsity plays at 4:30 p.m., then varsity plays their senior night game at 5:45 p.m.
On Friday, the varsity girls and boys water polo teams compete in the SCVAL Tournament. Varsity cross country competes in the WBAL Championships at 2 p.m.
On Saturday, the boys varsity water polo team continues play in the SCVAL Tournament, while junior varsity football plays North Salinas at 11 a.m.
In a thrilling week for Harker athletics, a golfer won a WBAL league championship for the second straight year, one runner set a new school record, another runner continued her amazing pace with a wire-to-wire win, and junior varsity football continued their pursuit of an undefeated season. Let’s get to it!
Golf:
KRISTINE LIN WINS WBAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW
Kristine Lin, grade 12, won the WBAL league championship for the second straight year, defending her title by shooting a 76 at Poplar Creek! Senior Connie Li also had a great day, shooting a career-best 93. Sophomore Daphne Liang shot a 90 to tie for 10th place. The team as a whole came in third place, beating Menlo and finishing only 13 strokes behind Sacred Heart Prep. Li competes at CCS today in Carmel.
Cross Country:
STERLING DAY ONCE AGAIN FOR RUNNERS GONZALES AND IYER
Well, surprise, surprise. Harker runners Corey Gonzales, grade 11, and Niki Iyer, grade 9, had incredible weeks once again. Gonzales set a new school record with a time of 15:47. He took off easy, landing in 30th place after the first half mile, then caught up to 10th over the next half mile, and finally stormed through the leaders to finish in second place. Iyer continued her amazing start to the season, leading end-to-end over the course of setting a school record and nailing the fifth best time ever for a freshman on the Crystal Springs Course with a 17:53. The next race for cross country team is the league championships on Nov. 8 at Crystal Springs.
Football:
JV STILL UNDEFEATED AFTER 18-POINT COMEBACK
The junior varsity team remains undefeated after a huge 18-14 comeback win against North Monterey County High School. Down 14-0 at halftime, the team roared back to score 18 unanswered points, courtesy of two touchdown passes by quarterback Keanu Forbes, grade 11, a pair of two-point conversions, and a safety. Nikhil Ramgiri, grade 10, led the team in receiving with three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Alex Youn, grade 9, snagged the other touchdown pass. Will Park, grade 9, led the team in rushing with 58 yards on 13 carries. Park also came up big on defense, intercepting a pass on North Monterey County’s final drive to seal the victory for the Eagles. The win puts Harker’s record on the year at an undefeated 4-0. The time will try to extend their streak to five when they play Cupertino on Friday night at 6 p.m.
Water Polo:
MIXED WEEK AHEAD OF SENIOR DAY
The varsity boys water polo team went 1-1 last week, losing to Wilcox but bouncing back to beat Santa Clara. Eric Holt, grade 11, scored eight goals across the two games, while Billy Bloomquist, grade 11, had a hat trick against Wilcox.
The junior varsity boys team competed in the Wilcox Tournament on Saturday, going 2-2 with victories over Heritage and St. Ignatius.
On the girls’ side, the varsity team lost both of their games last week, losing to Santa Clara and Wilcox despite seven goals from Delaney Martin, grade 11. Anushka Das, grade 11, and Anna Levine, grade 12, each had two goals that week, while juniors Jackie Shen and Sheridan Tobin scored as well. Helena Dworak, grade 10, had a total of 17 saves in goal.
The varsity teams have their senior day on Thursday, with ceremonies occurring at approximately 5:30 p.m. in between games against Cupertino.
Volleyball:
VARSITY’S RECORD NOW AT 10-9 AFTER TOUGH WEEK
The varsity girls volleyball team’s record now stands at 10-9 after a tough week which saw them lose to both Sacred Heart Prep and Castilleja. Against Sacred Heart Prep, Divya Kalindindi, grade 12, had 19 kills and Doreeen Kang, grade 10, had 10. The girls host Priory tonight, with varsity playing at 5:45 p.m., and then hit the road to play St. Francis on Friday.
Tennis:
GIRLS GO 1-1 AFTER LOSS TO MENLO AND WIN AGAINST CRYSTAL SPRINGS
The girls began the week by losing to Menlo, but bounced back to defeat Crystal Springs on their senior day. In the win, Dora Tzeng, grade 12, Izzy Gross, grade 10, and Arden Hu, grade 11, all came away with victories in their singles matches, while Ariana Shulman, grade 12, and Nadia Palte, grade 10, won in doubles. The other three matches that day all went to a third set, highlighted by a clutch come-from-behind win by Megy Appalaraju, grade 11, and Era Iyer, grade 9. The girls face off against Castilleja in a league match today.
Coming Up:
Tuesday is a packed day of Harker sports! The girls golf team begins by playing in the CCS championships at Rancho Canada Golf Club. All three water polo teams are in action. The boys play at Homestead High School, with the varsity team leading off at 3:30 p.m., followed by the junior varsity team at 4:45 p.m. The girls varsity water polo team plays at Monta Vista High School at 5:45 p.m. Both girls volleyball teams play home games against Priory. Junior varsity’s game comes first at 4:30 p.m., followed by varsity’s game at 5:45 p.m. The varsity girls tennis team also has a match, an away game against Castilleja at 3:30 p.m.
All teams are off on Wednesday. On Thursday, varsity girls tennis plays Notre Dame High School San Jose in an away game at 3:30 p.m. Then, a trilogy of water polo games take place at Harker against Cupertino High School. In episode one, the varsity girls play at 4:30 p.m. Then, for the sequel, the junior varsity boys play at 5:45 p.m. Finally, the saga wraps up with an exciting conclusion when the varsity boys play a night game at 6:45 p.m. The water polo teams celebrate their senior day in a ceremony at 5:30 p.m.
On Friday, the varsity boys water polo team plays in the Ron Freeman Memorial Varsity Boys Water Polo Tournament at Homestead. The varsity girls volleyball team has an away game against St. Francis High School Mountain View at 4:30 p.m. Finally, at 6 p.m., the undefeated junior varsity football team is back with a night game against Cupertino High School!
Cross country stars Corey Gonzales, grade 11, and Niki Iyer, grade 9, sailed to victories this past week, with each defeating last year’s league champions for their victories. Iyer won plaudits in the San Jose Mercury News for her previous wire-to-wire varsity win at the Serra Invitational at Crystal Springs. The junior varsity football team remains undefeated after a blowout win, and girls golf is preparing for their CCS qualifier this Wednesday. Here are the scores and results from mid-October:
Cross Country:
HUGE WINS FOR GONZALES AND IYER
At Bayland Park last week, Gonzales defeated the previous year’s league champion by 10 seconds, running the fifth best mark in the 5 km course’s history for the win. Gonzales raced to victory by cruising through the early portion of the race, then kicking it into high gear to sprint past the only other runner who had stayed with the leaders on his way to a final time of 16:15.
Iyer continued her hot streak, setting a course record for the 5 km by besting last year’s league champion and winning by a whole minute. Claudia Tischler, grade 12, finished sixth in the varsity race. The runners will compete in the league finals on Thursday.
FRESHMAN PHENOM MAKES THE MERC
Iyer made the San Jose Mercury News just a couple of weeks into her inaugural high school season. She was featured in “After School,” The Merc’s blog for high school sports in Santa Clara and San Mateo, after winning the varsity girls individual race title at the Serra Invitational at Crystal Springs. Despite being “super, super nervous” in anticipation of the race, Iyer leapt out ahead of the pack and lead wire-to-wire, never trailing. Her time was the fifth fastest to-date of all CCS runners this year and the 10th best for any freshman ever in the course’s 70 years of existence. As the San Jose Mercury News’ Darren Sabedra reported, Iyer was simply aiming to finish in the top 10 with a time under 19 minutes. Instead, she finished first with a time of 18 minutes and 3 seconds, trumping the old Harker mark by 50 seconds in a performance that Harker athletic director Dan Molin called “truly elite level.” “Oh man, it was amazing,” Iyer was quoted as saying. “I didn’t expect this at all.”
This fall, Julia Amick, grade 7, took first place in the grade 7/8 division at the WBAL Middle School Cross Country Meet at Hallmark Park, and will complement Iyer’s efforts next year.
Tennis
GIRLS STAY AT .500
The girls’ record in league play now stands at an even 3-3 after a 4-3 loss to Sacred Heart and a 6-1 victory over Notre Dame San Jose last week. This week, the girls go on to play Menlo and Crystal Springs. Their match against Crystal Springs this Thursday is the team’s senior day. A ceremony will follow the game at 5:30 p.m.
Golf
GIRLS DROP ONE PRIOR TO CCS QUALIFIER
Last Tuesday, Lady Eagle golfers dropped their match against Castilleja, despite senior Kristine Lin’s 36. Congratulate Lin and her fellow senior Connie Li on their years at Harker, and wish the team well this Wednesday. The CCS qualifier is today, so wish them luck!
Volleyball
AFTER 1-1 WEEK, GIRLS NOW OWN 10-7 RECORD
Girls volleyball lost to Presentation on Monday in straight games, then bounced back with a three-set victory against Mercy San Francisco on Friday. After the split week, their record now stands at 10-7 overall. The girls will hit this road this week to play Sacred Heart Prep and Castilleja.
Water Polo
BOTH TEAMS LOSE TO FREMONT
Both the girls and boys water polo teams lost to Fremont last week, with the girls dropping their game by a margin of 7-1 and the boys losing 8-6. For the girls, Anushka Das, grade 11, was the only scorer, while Helene Dworak, grade 10, had eight saves in goal. For the gents, Billy Bloomquist, grade 11, led the team with four goals, and Eric Holt, grade 11, added another two. The water polo teams will host Wilcox this Thursday at the Singh Aquatic Center at Harker.
Football
JV STAYS UNDEFEATED
The junior varsity football squad crushed Lynbrook on Friday 34-8 to remain undefeated through three games. This Saturday, they’ll look to extend that streak to four against North Monterey County High School.
Coming Up:
On Thursday, varsity cross country runs in league finals at Crystal Springs Cross Country Park. Girls varsity tennis plays their senior day against Crystal Springs at 3:30 p.m. at the Decathlon Club, followed by a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Both girls volleyball teams play Castilleja School, with junior varsity playing at 4:30 and varsity playing at 5:45 p.m. All three water polo are also in action against Wilcox High School at the Singh Aquatic Center. The girls varsity water polo team leads off at 4:30 p.m., followed by the junior varsity boys at 5:45 p.m., and the boys varsity water polo team at 6:45 p.m. All teams are off on Friday, but Saturday, junior varsity football has an away game at North Monterey County High School.
Already in the 2013-14 school year, Harker records are being shattered. For the second straight week, Harker’s girls golf team posted the top score in Harker history. Over at cross country, a freshman runner set a new school record by 50 full seconds. Varsity football stomped Livermore Valley in a blowout, while varsity tennis came away from the Los Altos Tournament with a silver division championship and all three water polo teams swept Cupertino. These are the scores and updates for Harker athletics from a busy second week of October:
Golf:
GIRLS GOLF CONTINUES TO ROLL
Two weeks ago, the girls golf team shot a school record in a 199-211 loss to Sacred Heart Prep at Los Lagos. This past week, they did one better, shooting a 210 to set a new record and defeat Notre Dame San Jose by the score of 210-255.
In the match, senior Kristine Lin earned her eighth straight medalist honors, shooting a 2 over par 36. On the fourth hole of the game, a 236-yard par 4, Lin drove the green and then two-putted for a birdie.
In driving the team to its best overall score in history, a number of Harker athletes also reached personal bests. Daphne Liang, grade 10, tied her career best with a 5 over par 39, while fellow sophomore Ashley Zhong did the same with a 7 over par 41. Connie Li, a senior also tied her personal best, shooting a 12 over par 46.
The girls’ work is winning high praises from their leadership. “This is by far the most hard-working and most improved team I have ever coached,” writes coach Ie-Chen Cheng. “Literally, each team member shot her personal best scores in the past weeks.”
The Eagles travel next to face Menlo today and then return home to host Castilleja on Tuesday at Los Lagos. Tuesday will be their senior night. The celebration will cap off a stellar season of record-setting results and personal growth. “The time they put in over the summer and in the past couple of months [is] paying great dividends,” notes Cheng. “We are so proud of what we have accomplished so far.”
After their new victories over Mercy-Burlingame and Notre Dame, the girls are now in sole possession of third place in the league with a 5-3 record. Come support the team on their senior day this Tuesday at Los Lagos Golf Course!
HARKER ALUM PLAYS FOR STANFORD
Maverick McNealy ’13 has made the traveling squad at Stanford golf. With the team, “Mav” traveled to play a tournament at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, the site of the 2017 U.S. Open, and came in 25th place as Stanford secured a victory. All told, Stanford shot a 13 under 851, defeating runner-up UCLA by eight strokes and besting third-place SMU and Oklahoma by a dozen. Fourteen teams in total competed in the tournament. McNealy shot a 72 in the first round, a 75 in the second, and a 73 in the third. His first-round 72 went for par. Stanford plays again on Oct. 18-20, this time at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Ga.
Cross Country:
“TRULY ELITE LEVEL”
Niki Iyer is a freshman. She just won the varsity girls individual race title at the Crystal Springs Invitational this past Saturday.
“This is truly elite level,” wrote Dan Molin, Harker’s athletic director in an email announcing Iyer’s accomplishment to the school.
Iyer never trailed in the race, leaping out ahead of the pack and leading wire-to-wire. Her time set a new school record by 50 full seconds. That time was the fifth fastest of all CCS runners this year, and the 10-best ever for a freshman in the course’s 70 years of existence.
Junior Corey Gonzales had a great week as well, running in the championship varsity boys race and placing eighth against the top runners in all of California.
Both Gonzales and Iyer will run this Thursday at the Baylands Park cross country course. They will be looking for their second win in a row over WBAL league runners.
Football:
TRIPLE THREAT LEADS HARKER TO BLOWOUT WIN
Senior Kevin Moss led the Eagles on offense, defense and special teams in a blowout 58-16 victory against the Livermore Valley Preparatory Hawks. Moss ran for two touchdowns on offense, returned an interception for a touchdown, led the team with three solo sacks, and ran a kickoff back for his fourth touchdown of the game. Quarterback Keanu Forbes, grade 11, had a huge game as well, throwing two touchdown passes to wide receiver Sid Krishnamurthi, grade 11, and one to sophomore running back Jonathan Keller. Forbes ran for a touchdown as well on a 36-yard sprint in the fourth quarter. All told, Harker recorded 387 yards of total offense on 42 plays from scrimmage while a stingy and ferocious defense held the opposing Hawks to just 180 yards on 39 plays. While both teams were able to move the ball, Harker’s defense had Livermore Valley moving in both directions, sending them backwards on eight – count ‘em, eight – timely quarterback sacks. Harker kicker Alyssa Amick, grade 11, added six extra points after touchdowns. The junior varsity squad has the next game on the schedule, taking on Lynbrook this Friday.
Volleyball:
VARSITY CAPS BUSY WEEK WITH TOURNAMENT WIN
The varsity girls volleyball team had a busy week, defeating Woodside Priory in straight sets, losing to number 2-ranked Menlo, and then going 3-1 at the Los Altos Tournament to earn the silver division championship. Varsity’s record now stands at 9-6 overall and an even 2-2 in league going into tonight’s home matchup against Presentation. The junior varsity team, meanwhile, owns an exceptional 16-5 record and, after victories against Priory and Menlo this week, is looking strong in league play.
Water Polo:
THREE TEAMS SCORE VICTORIES AGAINST CUPERTINO
Three of Harker’s water polo teams faced off against Cupertino last Tuesday, and all three came away with big victories. The boys varsity team won 12-5. The boys junior varsity team won 8-4. And, the girls varsity team won 9-5. This Tuesday, the teams play again, with the boys hosting Saratoga and the girls hosting Mountain View. On Thursday, both teams will host Fremont at the Singh Aquatic Center.
Tennis:
AFTER 1-1 WEEK, GIRLS TENNIS STANDS AT 6-3 OVERALL
The girls tennis team crushed Crystal Springs by a margin of 6-1 last Tuesday, then lost a heartbreaking game to Castilleja, dropping their record to a still-sterling 6-3 overall. The girls will attempt to rebound against Notre Dame and Sacred Heart this week.
Coming Up This Week:
This Monday, the girls golf team heads to the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course to face off against the Menlo School in a league match, beginning at 3 p.m. Over at Blackford, the junior varsity girls volleyball team will take on Presentation High School at 4:30 p.m., followed by the varsity girls’ game against Presentation at 5:45 p.m.
On Tuesday, the varsity girls tennis team will head to the Decathlon Club in Santa Clara for a league home game against Notre Dame High School – San Jose. At Los Lagos Golf Course in San Jose, the girls golf team will play a “home” game of their own against Castilleja. The freshman girls volleyball team will take on Milpitas High School at Harker’s Saratoga campus at 4:15 p.m. Just 15 minutes later on that same campus, the varsity boys water polo team will face off against Saratoga High School in a league game. The JV boys water polo team will follow them at 5:45 p.m. with a game of their own against Saratoga. Out in Mountain View, the varsity girls water polo team plays Mountain View High School at 6:45 p.m.
All of Harker’s athletic teams are off on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, varsity cross country travels to Baylands Park in Sunnyvale for a WBAL league meet, beginning at 3 p.m. At 3:30 p.m, the varsity girls tennis team starts a match at Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Atherton. Back on Harker’s Saratoga campus, the varsity girls water polo team plays Fremont High School at 4:30 p.m. The junior varsity boys water polo team will follow that up with a game of their own against Fremont High School at 5:45 p.m, to be followed by the varsity boys water polo team’s night game at 6:45 p.m. Up in San Francisco, the junior varsity girls volleyball team will take on Mercy High School at 4:30 p.m, followed by the varsity girls volleyball game at 5:45 p.m.
Friday sees just one Harker athletic event: The junior varsity football team takes on Lynbrook High School in an away game at 5 p.m.
This past week, a Harker cross country runner set a new course record, and the girls golf team posted the best score of any girls golf team in Harker’s history. Here are the scores and great performances from the first week of October:
Cross Country:
At the first WBAL cross country meet of the year, Corey Gonzales, grade 11, avenged the narrow defeat he suffered on that same course last year by setting a new course record of 14:47.5. In the very next race, freshman Niki Iyer won the 60m. Iyer’s winning time of 17:10.0 missed the course record by a single second. Senior Claudia Tischler ran her best race of the year, finishing in fifth place with an time of 18:08.
Girls Tennis:
Girls tennis defeated league rival Sacred Heart Prep this past Tuesday by a score of 4-3 to improve their record to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. Dora Tzeng grade 12, Izzy Gross, grade 1o, Sahithya Prakash,grade 12, and Arden Hu, grade 11, all won their singles matches. Two days later, the girls dropped their contest against state power Menlo, with Tzeng’s victory in her singles match serving as Harker’s only win of the day. This week, the girls head to play Crystal on the road and then return home to host Castilleja.
Girls Volleyball:
Both the junior varsity and varsity squads fell just shy of defeating Sacred Heart last Tuesday. Divya Kalidindi, grade 12, had 20 kills in varsity’s loss. The varsity team rebounded against Castilleja on Thursday, winning in five sets. They hit the road this week to face off against Priory and Menlo.
Water Polo:
Down four goals against Wilcox last Tuesday, the boys rallied back but ultimately came up short, dropping the game 14-12. Eric Holt, grade 11, scored five goals in the game. Karan Kurbur, grade 12, scored four. Billy Bloomquist, grade 11, scored two, and Jeremy Binkley, also grade 11, added a goal as well. The boys then headed to the Sobrato Tournament for the weekend, where they won one game and dropped two. The team’s record now stands at 5-9 overall. They start this week off against Cupertino.
The girls, meanwhile, dropped their game to Wilcox on Tuesday, 11-7, despite three goals from senior Anne Levine and more from Delaney Martin, grade 11, Yasemin Narin, grade 10, and Sheridan Tobin, grade 11. On Thursday, the girls eked out a 5-4 win against Monta Vista, led by Martin’s and junior Anushka Das’ two goals apiece.
Girls Golf:
The girls posted the best score ever for a Harker girls golf team this past Friday in a 199-211 loss to Sacred Heart Prep at Los Lagos. It took the best performance of any team in the league this season for Sacred Heart Prep to pull out a win and take sole possession of second place in the WBAL. A red-hot Kristine Lin, grade 12, earned her sixth medalist honors in as many matches, and Daphne Liang, grade 10, drained a 40-foot put on the ninth hole to make par. Harker is currently in third place in the WBAL with a 3-3 record.
Football:
Varsity football has its senior night this Friday against Livermore Valley Prep at 7 p.m.
This story originally appeared in the fall 2013 Harker Quarterly.
Summertime fun kicked into high gear at Harker this year, as enrollment for camps and other seasonal programming skyrocketed across all three campuses, resulting in a record-breaking number of participants.
Shortly after school let out, Harker opened its doors to the public, becoming a one-stop-summer-program-shop by extending its huge variety of offerings to K-12 students both locally and from around the globe.
According to Harker’s summer programs office, attendance at all summer happenings totaled 2,740 participants. On the Harker summer menu were: a camp for young kids, an institute for middle and high school-aged students, a program for foreigners to learn English, a large and varied sports camp, and a swim school that even adults could attend.
“We were thrilled and delighted at the incredible turnout for Harker summer this year!” enthused Kelly Espinosa, longtime director of summer programs. She noted that Harker has been providing outstanding summer programming for more than half a century.
In addition to the larger number in overall enrollment, there were exciting new happenings in both the English Language Institute (ELI) and Summer Institute (SI). At the lower school ELI saw a huge jump in enrollment specific to elementary school students. Meanwhile, at the upper school, SI successfully added specialty classes to its afternoon activity program.
“Harker summer had everything a camp consumer could want,” said Espinosa, adding that she was also pleased to see how many non-Harker students chose to spend their summer at the school.
The cross country season is starting up again, which means that Corey Gonzales, grade 11, is right back where he left off last year, setting new school records. His mark in the junior boys race at Toro Park beat his own mark at the CCS finals last year, a time that sent him to the state meet.
Tennis
In their first game of the new season, the girls won 5-2 over Santa Catalina, losing on four of the seven courts before coming back to win five second sets and the only third set tiebreaker. Dora Tzeng, grade 12, Isabelle Gross, grade 10, and Arden Hu, grade 11, all won singles matches and the teams of sophomores Stephanie Huang and Nadia Palte as well as Meghana Appalaraju, grade 11, and Era Iyer, grade 9, won doubles matches. Gross’ singles match was the high- light thriller: she lost the first set 1-6 in a blowout, but came back to win the second set before finally pulling out a dead-even third set 12-10.
Football
In the opening game, Harker varsity football blew out the Faith Christian Warriors 41-0 in Coalinga. Defense back Samir Chaudhry, grade 12, had two pivotal interceptions in the shut- out. Running back Kevin Moss, grade 12, ran for two touchdowns and kicker Alyssa Amick, grade 11, racked up 11 points. Chaudhry, Adarsh Battu, grade 12, and Sid Krishnamurthi, grade 11, also scored touchdowns.
GirlsVolleyball
Both girls junior varsity and varsity teams won their season openers against the West Catholic League’s Notre Dame-Belmont in straight games. For the varsity, Shannon Richardson, grade 10, had 12 kills; Divya Kalidindi, grade 12, had 11; and Shreya Dixit, grade 11, had 10.
Water Polo
Juniors Billy Bloomquist and Eric Holt racked up seven goals apiece in early play at the Wilcox Tournament, where Harker’s varsity team defeated league rival Santa Clara on their way to a 1-2 tournament. JV also went 1-2 at the San Benito Tournament in early September.
Summer Sports
Summer’s ending, and that means athletes will be leaping into the fall season soon! But even during the time away from school, Harker’s sportsmen and sportswomen have been training, winning and earning honors. Harker has individual students snatching
up medals, teams being recognized for academic achievement, coaches winning awards, and alumni joining university teams. To the update!
Basketball
Harker athletes competed in and won the Varsity Summer League at Evergreen Valley High School. The team finished the regular season of the summer league second in their division, losing only one game to a team that finished with an undefeated record. In the playoffs, Harker defeated the third-seated team in the other division, moving on to face an undefeated team from the other division at Evergreen, beating them by six points after taking the lead in the final minutes. That pushed Harker into the championship game, where Harker won by a large margin.
The summer league represents an opportunity for players to work on individual skills but grow as a team, as well as for rising players to step up and prove themselves going into the following year.
Soccer
A hearty congratulations is in order for the boys soccer team, who posted the highest GPA of any high school male soccer team in California. This August, the California Interscholastic Federation, which was founded nearly a century ago in 1914, announced its 2012-13 state academic team champions, an honor bestowed upon teams with the highest overall grade point average in each sport.
For the victory, the California Interscholastic Federation will bestow upon Harker a banner, which Harker can display in a gym or other prominent space. Boys soccer finished their 2013 season with a 7-8-2 record overall and a 5-7-2 record in league play, landing them with a fourth-place overall finish.
While Harker’s athletes were being re- warded for their academic achievement, varsity coach Shaun Tsakiris gained some recognition as well. In July, U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy voted Tsakiris national coach of the year.
In alumni news, Siobhan Cox ’13 has already started playing for Stanford! So far, she’s started two out of three games and has an assist. Stanford is off to a 2-0-1 start.
Football
Indraneel “Neel” Salukhe ’12 will be playing football for the University of Washington in Seattle this year. Salukhe played football all four years at Harker. A wide receiver, he walked on for spring football last season and was invited to join the regular football camp to train with and play for U.W.
This story originally appeared in the fall 2013 Harker Quarterly.
Summer Water Polo Camp Focuses on Fun and Fundamentals of the Sport
Harker’s summer water polo camp, held in late June, offered Bay Area students in grades 4-8 the chance to get a comprehensive introduction to the sport in a fun, supportive environment.
“It’s good for the kids to come out and play and it’s helping our sport grow,” said Allie Lamb, the Harker water polo coach who ran the camp with Ted Ujifusa, who also coaches at Harker. “It’s kind of a small sport, so the more kids we can get started early and young, the better it’ll be when they get into high school.”
Because most of the students at the camp were new to the sport, the camp focused on basic skills such as eggbeater kicking, moving through the water, passing and shooting. Each day of the camp highlighted a new skill.
Good, Tough, Fun Basketball Camp Breaks Down Drills to Help Players Work as a Team
Harker’s basketball camp knitted together drills, five-on-fives and skills games to best engage students. The camp had two sessions per day – a morning session for boys in grades 6-9 and an afternoon coed session for grades 4-8 – and was run by Harker varsity basketball coach Mark Collins, who spent 10 years in Denmark as a professional player and six years as the director of the Golden State Warriors’ camp.
Collins said the main goal of the camp was to equip students with the skills they can practice at home and elsewhere in order to continue improving after camp is over. “They’re not going to get so much better in a weeklong camp,” he said. “But if they carry these skills to their homes and to their other teams and to their free plan and other recreational centers and do these skills, they will get better.”
Fundamentals – and Fun – All the Rage at Harker’s Summer Volleyball Camp
Harker’s summer volleyball camp returned the week of July 15, offering instruction from experienced, top-level coaches to students in grades 4-9. The camp catered to various skill levels, first grouping students by age and grade, and later moving students to different groups depending on their levels of experience. Each day began with warm-ups, with students going through drills for various skills, and each session ended with team play.
The main purpose of the camp is, first of all, for the kids to have fun, said Dan Molin, Harker’s upper school athletic director and one of the coaches running the camp. “We want them to come here and enjoy themselves and improve in every skill of volleyball, from offense to defense, passing, setting, hitting, digging, blocking and pingpong sets.”
Harker’s Wrestling Camp Helps Students from Around the Area to Improve Mat and Life Skills
Harker’s new wrestling camp, run by longtime Harker coach Karriem Stinson, gave students in grades 6-12 a solid foundation for their future endeavors in the sport.
“We try to show everyone the same moves and we’re trying to keep it basic … because we think basic wins,” said Stinson, who is also the middle and lower schools’ assistant athletic director.
A typical day at the camp focused first on basic techniques and positioning; then wrestlers moved on to situational drills emphasizing escapes, stand-ups and breakdowns. The final portion of the day allowed the students to practice the skills they’d learned with their classmates.
Summer Students Get Fitwith TRX Training Program
A new addition to Harker’s summer sports program this year, the TRX training camp introduced students to the TRX suspension training system, which builds strength, flexibility and core stability by using the trainer’s body weight. This unique feature makes it accessible to many people. “Anybody, from 5 years old all the way to seniors, can work with it,” said Karriem Stinson, Harker’s head wrestling coach and assistant athletic director at the lower and middle schools.
Stinson, who is a certified TRX trainer, said that TRX is a good alternative for people who are not comfortable exercising with weights. “It’s a fun apparatus that drives you to get stronger,” he said. He also noticed that after working with the TRX system, students had an easier time doing certain exercises such as planks, remarking, “It’s been amazing to watch.”
Soccer Camp Returns forAnother Successful Year
Harker’s summer soccer camp enjoyed another successful year, with students from many different skill levels picking up new techniques and honing those they had already acquired. The camp was broken up into three weeklong sessions, one week in June and two weeks in July. Each day started off with agility and balance warm-ups, combined with fun activities devised by the coaching staff. Students then headed off into various stations, each focusing on a key soccer skill such as passing, receiving and finishing. In addition, a new move was introduced each day of the camp for the students to learn and practice.
Although competition is an important aspect of the camp, head coach Shaun Tsakiris said the main objective was to ensure students had fun and wanted to return. “We make sure that before the season starts, before the camp starts, the coaching staff gets together and makes it an enjoyable place,” he said.
Young Gridiron Enthusiasts Have Fun at Junior Eagle Football Camp
In late July, football enthusiasts in grades 6-8 congregated at Davis Field at the upper school campus for the three-day Junior Eagle Football Camp, directed by Harker’s head football coach, Ron Forbes. Each day, students worked on speed and agility drills, learned and practiced skills unique to different positions and enjoyed team games at the end of each session.
Attendees received individual coaching at all positions from the experienced and knowledgeable coaching staff and certified sports medicine staff were on hand for the entire duration of the camp.
Students Learn and Develop Swimming Techniques at SwimSchool
Harker’s summer swim school offered individual instruction to swimmers of all ages looking to improve on their aquatic abilities. The school offered individual and group lessons to people of all levels of experience, from those who are stepping into the water for the first time to experienced swimmers looking for an edge in competition.
Katherine Dow, grade 5, said the camp was “fun. We do laps and timing and then we build rafts at the end and try to race each other.” She also mentioned that she noticed an overall improvement in her swimming and would attend the swim school again. Katherine’s sister, Suzanne, grade 2, also enjoyed the camp and learned how to do flip turns and freestyle swimming.