This article was originally published in the spring 2013 Harker Quarterly.
By Theresa “Smitty” Smith
Lower School
Grade 4
Junior Varsity-C girls basketball finished a perfect 6-0 in the league, WBAL champs!
Grade 5
Junior Varsity-B girls basketball finished at 2-4 in league, and took the Consolation Championship at the WBAL tournament.
Junior Varsity-B boys soccer finished a perfect 6-0 in the league, WBAL champs!
Middle School
Grade 6
Junior Varsity-A girls basketball finished at 2-6 in league, and headed into the WBAL tournament.
Junior Varsity-A boys soccer is currently 3-2-1 with one match remaining on the schedule.
Grade 7
Varsity-B girls basketball finished a perfect 8-0 in league, WBAL CHAMPS, and headed into the WBAL tournament.
Varsity-B boys soccer is a perfect 4-0 with three matches still remaining on the schedule.
Grade 8
Varsity-A girls basketball is currently 7-3 and going to the WBAL tournament.
Varsity-A boys soccer is currently 1-5 with two matches remaining on the schedule.
By Steve M. Boyle ’06
Upper School
Sure, it’s been a chillier-than-average winter, but a few hot streaks from Harker athletes have provided more than a little entertainment during the shorter days. Harker’s varsity basketball teams cruised to the postseason, while Harker’s soccer teams improved, and one talented senior wrestler ended his career at Harker on a high note.
Basketball
Both of Harker’s varsity basketball teams stormed into to the postseason with 17-win seasons, won a playoff game, and then saw their seasons end in hard-fought match-ups.
The boys advanced to the playoffs after a 17-7 run in which the team went 11-3 in league play and won five of their last six games, earning them a number 6 seed and a first-round bye. In round two, Harker faced off against Pacific Grove with a shot at the quarterfinals on the line. There, Harker muscled through to a 64-56 victory in front of the home crowd at Blackford as senior Nikhil Panu led the way with a team-high 21 points. The win set up a CCS quarterfinals game against league-rival Menlo Park, against whom Harker had split its two games during the regular season. Unfortunately, this time Menlo bested Harker 53-46, ending Harker’s run. Overall, Panu led the team in points with 319 for the year while averaging 12.3 per game. Sophomore Eric Holt stood out with 278 points for the year and 10.7 per game, while sophomore Nicholas Nguyen led the team with 98 assists and 59 steals.
The girls finished up their year with a 17-6 record overall and a 7-3 mark against league opponents, earning them a playoff berth. In the first round of CCS, the girls matched up against 11th-seeded Ocean High School and defeated them on the road, 51-40, setting into motion a second-round collision with number 6 seed Monte Vista Christian, where they were bested 53-35. For the year, Daniza Rodriguez, grade 12, put up a team-high 342 points, averaging 14.3 a game. Senior Shreya Vemuri and junior Nithya Vemireddy added another 13.5 and 11.4 points per game, respectively, while Rodriguez led the team with 139 assists. Vemireddy led the team in rebounds with 146. Senior Priscilla Auyeung stood out on both sides of the ball with 146 rebounds and 67 steals, second on the team in both categories.
The JV boys finished strong, winning four of their last five to wind up the year 13-10. The JV girls dropped their 15 games, but took massive strides forward at the close of the year, drawing to within two points of Summit Public Schools – Tahoma in their fourth-to-last game and coming within just one point of Notre Dame High School San Jose in their final game of the season. Meanwhile, the freshmen boys went 5-11 and ended the season with a dramatic overtime win against Santa Cruz High School.
Congratulations to both varsity teams on their playoff runs!
Soccer
Girls soccer finished in third place in league with a 9-4-1 record, 10-8-1 overall. Senior Sondra Leal Da Costa led the team in scoring with 18 goals, while Nikita Parulkar, grade 10, had a team-high 11 assists. Alyssa Amick, grade 10, finished second on the team in both goals and assists, hitting the back of the net 11 times and assisting on nine other goals.
The boys went 7-8-2 this season with a 5-7-2 record in league play, giving them a fourth place overall finish. The JV squad wound up at 4-8 on the year, but finished strong, winning their final two games in front of a home crowd.
Wrestling
At the 49th annual Wiliam C. Overfelt Wrestling Classic, Harker’s lone senior wrestler, Danny Wang, went 3-2 and made it to the consolation semifinals. All three of his victories came by way of pinning his opponents.
This article was originally published in the spring 2013 Harker Quarterly.
The first Wednesday of February probably does not call for much attention or register as an important day in the minds of most students lugging backpacks from class to class, but for five members of the Class of 2013, that date, Feb. 6, meant that courtship between school and player was over, and they could take pens in hand to sign their letters of intent to play collegiate athletics for their chosen universities; an additional student signed earlier in the year.
After a few sullen days of rain in early February, Harker found itself awash under a baby blue sky. As students made their way to lockers in the morning to gather their books and anthologies, video monitors in the main academic hallway glowed with the day’s news. One special announcement caught the attention of many a passerby: an invitation from Dan Molin, athletic director, to join seniors Michael Amick, Siobhan Cox, Karan Das-Grande, Ashley Del Alto and Andy Perez in the college counseling offices as they signed to commit themselves to four years of college athletics, joining Maverick McNealy, who in November signed as a Stanford linksman.
In recent years, national signing day has grown in popularity and prominence, due, in part, to the surge in ESPN and regional markets that cater to specific conferences like the Big 10 and Southeastern Conference. Star-studded football recruits hold a nation’s attention, and fans bite their lips as they watch a fabled recruit extend his hand to clasp their school’s hat. A top athlete choosing the maize and blue of Michigan sends jubilant cheers through Ann Arbor and beyond, while in Columbus, Ohio, the Buckeye denizens sigh woefully at missing out. Just such a scene is by no means a hyperbolic one, and as other sports gain popularity, football recruits will not be the only ones holding press conferences.
Michael Amick will be playing soccer for UCLA. A Harker Eagle since kindergarten, Amick began dribbling a soccer ball at age two when he enrolled in Kidz Love Soccer, an instructional youth camp. From those early beginnings, Amick began to develop a keen awareness for the game, and after dabbling in track, he decided that “the joy of soccer” and team aspect of the game far outweighed the individualism of track and field.
As Amick matured over the years, so, too, did his game. His field awareness, precision passing, speed of play and sheer athletic prowess led him to be selected for premier club teams, and his time with the De Anza Force and coach Shaun Tsakaris (who is also the varsity boys coach at Harker) sent his stock soaring.
Over the past four years, Amick has concentrated his efforts on “pushing [himself] harder and harder each and every day,” he noted.
This mental fortitude found promise in January 2012 when Amick was called up to the U18 national team and scored two goals in international competition. Attending and playing for the same school as other soccer greats like Carlos Bocanegra, Brad Friedel and Jonathan Bornstein do not faze Amick; rather, he embraces the challenge an elite soccer university offers, stating, “There is a time and a place to be social and joke around, but when it is time to put in the work, the mindset must be right.”
Siobhan Cox has been working that mindset for her club team PSVUnionFC, which stands for Peninsula Silicon Valley Union Football Club, and, as a result, will be playing soccer for Stanford. Cox began showing interest in soccer around age 7 and has been embracing the sport for the past nine years.
Her club team “trains every day, which is unusual for a club environment,” she said, but the competitive nature of those sessions has brought about “fun and intensity.”
While Cox played her freshman year only for Harker, she relishes that season and credits the graduating seniors from that year as the catalysts for motivating her to play soccer. Attending a rigidly academic school, Cox recognizes the credit that is due her teachers. She states, “Harker has provided me with the opportunity to take care of the academic side, especially as many people don’t realize that athletes who want to go to a highly academic school must also meet the academic requirements, regardless of their [athletic skill].”
While Stanford will be her home for the next four years, Ireland, England and the United States may be calling upon her skill in later years. With a mother from Ireland, a father from England and the United States as home, Cox “is available to play for three different national teams.” She now just needs to bide her time until July 27 to start training with the Cardinal, but her name is already on the press release and signing made it officially a “dream come true,” she said.
The only one to leave California, Karan Das-Grande will make his way across the country to Connecticut College to submerge himself in water polo. A Harker student since grade 1, Das-Grande’s introduction to the sport was a late one, but he has been making waves, and schools took notice. While the sport is, arguably, still more regional than national, water polo saw tremendous exposure during the 2012 Olympics, and Das-Grande sought a college whose program was “young and on the rise.”
Connecticut College met both criteria and is also a liberal arts school, a final requirement of his. Claiming that “defying the odds is possible,” Das-Grande points to his sophomore year and his contest against Saratoga as a defining moment for him both as a player and as an individual. Despite losing to Saratoga twice in the regular season, Harker “managed to squeak out a 7-6 win in league finals,” Das-Grande said. As a result, some of the Saratoga players refused to exchange handshakes during the contest overtures. Accordingly, Das-Grande remarked that “given their frustration, [the victory] taste[d] even better.” Having been coached and taught by “role models,” Das-Grande is grateful for the help he has had in growing into a mature, respectful person.
On the diamond, softball player Ashley Del Alto will be taking her bat and glove to Iowa to pursue her dreams at Briar Cliff University. Daughter of J.R. Del Alto, the Saratoga campus’ maintenance director, she will abide by the words of her new head coach Michelle Schaper: “If you produce, you will play.” And Del Alto is no stranger to producing. As a four-year varsity athlete on the softball team, she raised her batting average from an already-impressive .371 percentage as a freshman to an astounding .537 as a junior; she also has 34 RBIs. A two-time first team all-league player, Del Alto will need to adjust to the climate in Iowa, but she states that “the care of the Harker community and the knowledge gained from her teachers” will help her transition to the “tightly knit community of Briar Cliff.” As Del Alto charges on to the field at Briar Cliff she takes with her memories of 14 years at Harker, remarking that she “would not want to be a part of any other class.”
Recognized as the next rising talent in the world of golf, Maverick McNealy will be playing for Stanford. As the son of parents who both share an infinite love of solving problems, McNealy sees tranquility in what many consider to be a frustrating game.
Learning the game when he was learning how to walk, he “loved to go outside and whack balls around with a plastic club,” he said. Arriving at Harker in grade 9, McNealy immediately excelled on the links, but he believes that “until [he] shoot[s] 18 in every round of golf he plays, there will always be room to get better.”
Given that drive, it is no wonder that McNealy is acutely aware of the life lessons golf provides: “Golf, to me, is the ultimate game of personal responsibility,” he said. “Your performance is a direct result of the time and effort you put into the game, and you take complete responsibility for your play. If you hit a bad shot, you can only blame yourself because you were the only one to swing the club. Conversely, if you make a hole in one, you can take complete pride in your accomplishment.”
Even attending Stanford, home to Tiger Woods and Tom Watson, McNealy’s “favorite golfer,” causes no anxiety, and he credits Harker for that aplomb. “Everyone whom I have met (at Harker) is motivated and possesses a great work ethic,” he said.
Andy Perez also had an early commitment to soccer: he played it in his crib, he said, and when fall arrives, he will be taking the field for the University of California, Santa Barbara. Perez credits parents for ingraining in him a solid work ethic. Perez’ father, Ismael, a professional player for the San Jose Earthquakes, “coached [his son] at the age of four and continuously pushed him to strive harder.”
Perez began attending Harker in grade 4, and when he arrived on the Saratoga campus for his freshman year, he played for Tsakaris and thought that the “camaraderie with teammates who are also classmates is an advantage because you want to work hard for your friends,” he said.
Moving over to the De Anza Force as well as the San Jose Earthquake’s Academy team proved invaluable for Perez, especially in terms of gaining national recognition. He does recognize that Harker has played a vital role in his academic growth and also helped to instill in him the character trait of respect.
One instance in particular that stands out for Perez is a playoff game between Menlo and Harker during his freshman year. He reminisced: “Halfway through the game I looked over at the fans and saw a sea of Harker fans, students, faculty, football players, basketball players, and many more coming together to root us on to the next round. We ended up losing the game, and that was our last game with the seniors, but after the game all the fans came up and congratulated us on a great season.” It is in this spirit of respect and passion and pride for high school that Perez makes his way to become a Gaucho.
This article was originally published in the spring 2013 Harker Quarterly.
The 2013 Harker Golf Classic and Wine Tasting provided a fantastic day for golf enthusiasts and wine drinkers alike, who gathered first at the beautiful Stanford University Golf Course, then at the hilltop home of Susan and Scott McNealy (Maverick, grade 12; Dakota, grade 9; Colt, grade 8; Scout, grade 6) for the after-party.
It was a beautiful, sunny Monday in early March and golfers enjoyed a variety of links-related activities, including a putting contest, hole in one contests (the prizes of a Smart car and a Mustang were, alas, unclaimed) and a longest drive contest for bragging rights.
Held as a benefit event for Harker’s general endowment fund, the Golf Classic opened at 10 a.m. with attendees warming up at the driving range. Later, after the putting contest, foursomes headed out for the shotgun start of the tournament, teeing off at 12:30 p.m.
Maverick McNealy, who next year will be playing for Stanford University, was paired up with upcoming grade 8 golfing sensation Ryan Vaughan, and the students joined presenting sponsors Gary and Pooja Gauba (Alexis, grade 8; Ashley, grade 4; Ariana, K) on team number 1. McNealy shot a 70 and Vaughan a 74.
The golf course, opened in 1930, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus and is consistently rated one of the finest in the world. Golf greats Tom Watson and Tiger Woods both played the course extensively while students at Stanford. In 2009 Stanford was rated the nation’s third best college course by golf coaches.
Following the scramble, participants headed out to the wine tasting at the McNealy’s. Ryan Moreland ’98, who owns Corvalle Winery, and Yannick Rousseau from Y Rousseau Wines poured and talked about their wines, which were accompanied by oven-fired homemade pizza and many other delicious dishes.
The first place winning team was Mike Armstrong (Annabella, grade 8), Harry Murray, David Nesbitt and Trask Leonard. On the women’s first place team were Patricia Huang, grade 12; Daphne Liang, grade 9; Kristine Lin, grade 11; and Katherine Zhu, grade 7.
The longest drive winners, sponsored by Mass Mutual, were Maverick McNealy and Susan Zhang (Patricia Huang, grade 12; Sonya Huang ‘10). Closest to the pin, sponsored by Shirin’s Events, were Susan McNealy and Gregg Ringold ’07.
Harker sends out a grateful thanks to all presenting sponsors: the Gaubas, Ram and Indira Reddy (Nikhil, grade 10) Christopher and Andrea Umdenstock (Haden, grade 6), Sandeep and Priya Vij (Sarina, grade 12; Sameer, grade 11) and Wayin.com, Scott McNealy’s current major venture.
Harker senior Sumit Minocha is the fastest male runner in all of CCS and was named an Athlete of the Week by the San Jose Mercury! Minocha’s 10.84 in the 100m is the number one time in the league and the number five-ranked time in all of California. His time in the 200m – 22.38 – is also the best in CCS. Minocha put up both of those league-leading marks at the Gilroy Invitational this past Saturday.
At the Gilroy Invitational, senior Isabelle Connell ran her best ever time in the 100m and missed first place in the race by just .01 seconds. Her personal-best 12.59 ultimately earned her second place in the race. Connell came back, though, to win a very competitive 200m, running a Harker-record 25.21. That mark gave her the second-best time in CCS this year and the 15th best time in the state. Connell was named to the San Jose Mercury’s Highlight Reel this week for her efforts!
Sophomore Corey Gonzales bested his own school record in the 800m, landing in fifth place with a 2:04.17 run. Minocha, Connell and Gonzales have all been invited to the prestigious Stanford Invitational this weekend. Congratulations to all three!
Lacrosse
Girls lacrosse crushed Woodside on Tuesday in their first league match of the year, 21-6. Wendy Shwe, grade 12, and Hannah Bollar, grade 10, each racked up seven goals. Michelle Douglas scored four times, while Brinda Perumal, grade 11, Tara Rezvani, grade 12, and Tiphaine Delepine, grade 12, each added a goal apiece. Thursday, they defeated Stevenson 19-3 to improve to an impressive 7-1 overall. Goal scorers were Douglas with nine, Shwe with two, Delepine with three, Bollar with four and Alison Kiang, grade 10, with one.
Coach Berry said, “Harker’s starters set the tone in the first 15 minutes to allow the reserve players plenty of time on the field. The first 13 minutes saw the Eagles soar fast and often, netting 10 quick points. The rest of the way, however, Harker’s younger players received the bulk of playing time against a Stevenson team that has, in previous years, beaten Harker 15-3, 20-5 and 14-4. After spring break, the girls face Mercy Burlingame and the game will certainly have league championship implications. Please come out and cheer on the girls in a contest that will prove to be exciting.
Softball
Harker softball is undefeated through their first four league games of the season after hanging on for a tight 6-5 victory over rival Castilleja. Ashley Del Alto, grade 12, had hits in all four of her at-bats and knocked in a run. Brianna Liang, grade 10, went 3-4 with an RBI as well. Nithya Vemireddy, grade 11, hit a triple. Alison Rugar, grade 12, smoked a double. Alisa Wakita, grade 9, Sarah Bean, grade 10, and Laura Thacker, grade 11, all had hits as well. They lost, however, Thursday, to Yerba Buena, 2-1, in a tight game. Marita Del Alto, grade 9, pitched and performed well, striking out seven. Ashley Del Alto went 3 for 3 with a home run and Thacker had a hit. The girls face Pinewood and Notre Dame after the break.
The victory over Castilleja was the girls’ second one-run win in a row. The previous game, they pulled off a thrilling walk-off victory in the bottom of the 7th inning to defeat Mercy-Burlingame 5-4. In that game, Rugar excelled on both sides of the ball, striking out 13 while smacking a triple and knocking in a run.
The girls head off on the road to play Yerba Buena on Thursday, then return to Harker for a home game against Harbor on Friday.
Baseball
The boys blew out Lincoln-SF yesterday to the tune of 12-4. The win puts the boys over .500 on the year, as their record now stands at 5-4-1 overall. Jacob Hoffman, grade 12, led the way on offense, going 2-3 with a triple and two RBIs. On the mound, Varun Kamat, grade 11, took home the win after striking out eight.
Golf
The boys lost to Sacred Heart Prep yesterday, 193-210. Maverick McNealy, grade 12, earned co-medalist honors after shooting a 36 at Palo Alto Hills.
Tennis
Boys tennis lost to Bellarmine, to go to 6-4, then upped their record to 7-4 by beating Pinewood on Thursday, 6-1. Doubles results: Kevin Xue, grade 11/Justin Yang, grade 12 (Harker) def Dan Saflgrove/Rahul Narula (Pinewood) 6-0, 6-1; Jon Dai, grade 9/Pranav Bheda, grade 12 (Harker) def Brennan Kwo/Matt Quo (Pinewood) 6-1, 6-0; Vivek Sriram, grade 10/Thomas Lee, grade 9 (Harker) def Matt Kong/George Hung (Pinewood) 6-0, 6-0. The boys face Priory and Aragon after the break.
Swimming
The varsity girls came in first in the four-team meet and the JV girls placed second on Wednesday, and had many exciting races and CCS qualifiers. In the 100 free: Angela Huang, grade 9 (55.27) and Manon Audebert, grade 11, (56.28) placing 1-2 in the race; 200 free: Audebert, 2:01.85; 500 free, Kimberly Ma, grade 11, 5:29.27; freshman Grace Guan had a great day qualifying for CCS in both the 200 IM (2:16.69) and the 100 breast (1:12.01).
JV girls had a great meet, coming in first in the first event of the evening! Sanjana Kaundinya, grade 10, came in first in the 100 IM while Karen Tu won the 50 breast. Elisabeth Siegel, grade 9, won the 50 fly for the second meet in a row.
Three more school records were broken on Saturday at the St. Francis Invitational! Corey Gonzales, grade 10, set a record in the mile run with a time of 4:31.58. Senior Isabelle Connell set a record in the 400m with a 58.17, and, Sumit Minocha, grade 12, topped the previous Harker mark in the 100m with an 11.05.
These outstanding achievements come on the heels of Harker kicking off their season right with two school records set in the very first league meet of the season! That time, Connoll ran a 12.82 league-leading 100m, and sophomore Julia Wang threw the shot 25’10.5″.
In the rest of that season-opening meet last week, Wang also set a personal record in the discus at 65’1″ to become number two on Harker’s all-time girl’s throw list. Michael Chen, grade 12, moved up his personal best in discus to 121’0″, and Rohan Kapatkar, grade 11, set a personal best with a 96′ 9.5″. Claudia Tischler, grade 11, and Gonzales each ran personal bests in the 400m, with a 65.49 and a 57.40, respectively. The boys relay team of Spenser Quash, Varun Gudapati, Robert Deng and Sumit Michocha, all seniors, ran a league-best 45.45 in the 400m relay. Senior Tyler Yeats had himself a day, winning the mile and the two mile, running the 300m hurdles for a personal best, and anchoring the Harker 4x400m relay. Whew.
That all set the stage for those record-smashing races this past Saturday at St. Francis. When Harker was kind enough to give the record-keepers a breather for a moment, the boys 400m relay team embarked on a great, exciting run: Michocha received the baton in sixth place and sprinted to finish second. Then, Tischler and Ragini Bhattacharya, grade 12, each ran personal bests in the varsity girls 800m, finishing with a 2:27.30 and 2:30.56, respectively. Freshmen Calvin Kocienda and Nadia Palte both set personal records in their frosh/soph hurdle race. It’s an outstanding start to the season for the track and field team, and one which begs the question: are we to expect a new batch of records with every match?
Baseball
Harker’s sluggers defeated University High Friday, 7-2, to even up their record at three wins and three losses. Jacob Hoffman, grade 12, took away honors for the best offensive game on the team with a 3-4 day in which he circled the bases with home runs, twice. Those two dingers helped him to six RBIs for the day out of Harker’s seven runs, and outscoring all of University High’s lineup. Of course, he had some help from Kevin Cali, grade 12, keeping University High bats quiet by pitching the complete game with 10 strikeouts. Want to catch these guys in action? The boys take on Summit Prep this week at Blackford.
Lacrosse
Girl lacrosse bested Christian Brothers – Sacramento on Friday to the tune of 19-13, bumping up their record to a strong 4-1 overall. So, which Eagles put the ball in the net? That would be Michelle Douglas, grade 12, with five goals; Wendy Shwe, grade 12, with six; Hannah Bollar, grade 10, with five; and Tiphaine Delepine, grade 12 with three.
The girls’ 19-point effort comes two days after they put up 18 in an 18-7 trouncing over Santa Catalina last Wednesday. That day, Douglas added four goals, Shwe muscled in eight, Bollar had five, and Delepine had one. Your next chance to see the girls’ surging offense is when they travel to play Stevenson today in an away game.
Golf
Boys golf has won two in a row, finishing off a busy stretch with victories over Crystal Springs and King’s Academy. When we’d last left our heroes, they were in the midst of dropping a tight game to Menlo 200-205 last Wednesday. But, they followed that up with their 189-229 statement game against Crystal Springs and, now that they’ve topped their week off with the win over King’s Academy for good measure, the boys’ record now stands at 3-2 overall. Maverick McNealy , grade 12, demands attention for two of his outstanding games; he was the low scorer in the Crystal Springs game with a 34 and then shot a 31 against King’s Academy. As this is written, the boys are heading into a big tournament in Marin County.
Volleyball
In their league opener, the boys officially started this season’s race to the playoffs with a win against King’s Academy in four games last Wednesday, which at the time evened up their overall record at 2-2. Since then, the boys lost to Mountain View on Friday, but recovered with a very strong showing at the Aptos Tournament on Saturday. At the tournament, the boys won their pool and qualified for the gold bracket where they would place third overall in a 12-team tournament. Harker slid into the top three by defeating Oak Grove in a dramatic game. Now the boys head home to host Los Gatos at Blackford this Wednesday. Come support ’em!
Tennis
Boys tennis defeated Fremont last Wednesday, but then lost to Crystal Springs. After last week, their record stands at 5-2 overall and 4-2 in league as they prepare to face off against Menlo and Sacred Heart Prep this week.
The JV squad, meanwhile, has improved to a scorching 6-1 after defeating Crystal Springs.
Softball
Softball fell to Silver Creek by a score of 4-0 Wednesday. Briana Liang, grade 10, and Nithya Vemireddy, grade 11, did manage hits in the midst of the shutout, but the Eagles’ record dropped to 2-3 overall. They remain, however, undefeated in league play, with a 1-0 record. The team travels to Menlo and then hosts Mercy this Friday at Blackford.
Swimming
Harker’s swimmers travel to Sacred Heart Prep, today. Happy swimming!
Congratulations to the boys basketball, girls basketball and boys soccer teams for being named as 2013 CCS winter scholastic championship teams for having one of the top grade point averages of all teams competing that season. Boys basketball was in the top five of their league while girls basketball and boys soccer led their leagues.
Softball defeated Menlo-Atherton 4-0 on Wednesday behind a solid performance from senior Alison Rugar. Rugar threw for 16 strikeouts on the mound and went 2-4 at the plate, knocking in three runs. Ashley Del Alto, grade 12, and Alana Shamlou, grade 11, also had hits in the victory.
Girls lacrosse beat Santa Catalina 16-9 under rainy skies last week. Wendy Shwe, Michelle Douglas, Tiphaine Delepine, all grade 12, and Hannah Bollar, grade 10, all had goals while Christine Lee, grade 11, had multiple saves.
Boys varsity tennis defeated Priory last week 5-2, then defeated King’s Academy yesterday 6-1 to improve to 4-1 overall. Jason Chu, grade 10, Kilian Burke, grade 11, and John Dobrota, grade 10, won their singles matches. The teams face Fremont and Crystal Springs this week.
Boys volleyball dropped their season opener to Leigh. Despite junior Andrew Zhu’s 14 kills, the boys lost 19-25, 23-25, 23-25; they lost again to Willow Glen in four sets, then, two games down against Westmont High School, stormed back with a dramatic 23-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-20, 24-22 fifth-set victory to improve to 1-2 on the season. Zhu led the team in kills and senior setter Josh Tien led in assists. Support the varsity Wednesday night, 5:30 at Blackford, as they host King’s Academy.
Baseball lost to Fremont Christian Friday and Gunderson Monday to drop to 2-3 on the season. Senior Jacob Hoffman had a triple and scored a run against Gunderson. Neil Sadhu, grade 10, had two hits against Fremont Christian. The boys host University High Friday at Blackford.
Track and Field Saturday was a record-breaking day for Harker track and field, as Harker athletes posted three all-time school records at the Willow Glen Track & Field Invitational. First, Corey Gonzales, grade 10, led off with a 9:51:20 time on a 3,200-meter run, netting him fourth place and topping his personal best by 40 seconds. Then, Isabelle Connell, grade 12, won the 200m, breaking her own record with a 25:72. Finally, Michael Chen, grade 12, continued his strong season with a 42’ 5.5”, placing fifth and breaking his own school record in the shot put. Amanda Kalb, grade 12, Nadia Palte, grade 9, Cheryl Lium grade 10, and Calvin Kocienda, grade 9, each ran a personal best in their sprint hurdle races.
Tennis Varsity boys tennis lost to Sacred Heart last week, but roared back with a convincing 7-0 victory over King’s Academy and 6-1 win over Pinewood. In the loss, Harker’s number 1 singles player Jason Chu, grade 10, defeated Sacred Heart Prep’s number 1 in the third set. This week, varsity faces off against Pinewood and Priory. JV has also begun its season, winning three of their first four games. Capping the strong start was a resounding victory against Kehillah in which the boys routed their way to a 7-0 win. At third doubles, freshmen Nikita Kosolobov and Evan Lohn made their debut, efficiently beating their opponents. Vivek Sriram, grade 10, continued his early season excellence at third singles and is now 4-0 on the year. Kevin Ke, grade 9, and Nathan Dalal, grade 10, also won their second match of the season. The team is now 2-1 overall.
Lacrosse Girls lacrosse owns a 1-1 record after losing their opening game against Pioneer 9-7 and then rebounding to defeat Tamalpais 18-6. Thus far, Michelle Douglas, grade 12, Hannah Bollar, grade 10, and Wendy Shwe, grade 12, have led the team in scoring. The girls travel to Santa Catalina on Thursday.
Softball Softball opened its season with a 7-4 loss against Cupertino on Friday. Brianna Liang, grade 10, went 2-3 with a triple and an RBI. Laura Thacker, grade 11, drove in the rest of the runs, going 1-3 with a home run and three RBIs. On the mound, pitcher Allison Rugar, grade 12, struck out 10. After an away game on Wednesday, the girls return to Harker to host Notre Dame-Belmont on Friday.
Baseball After dropping their opener to Terra Nova on Friday, the boys defeated Pescadero in a 12-0 blowout to earn their first win of the year, then followed it up with a 10-6 victory over St. Lawrence. Against Pescadero, senior Kevin Cali got on base in each of his four trips to the plate, walking three times and homering while knocking in a game-high four RBIs and adding three steals in three attempts. Cali then topped that effort on the mound and at the plate in the St. Lawrence game, pitching seven innings, striking out 11 and going 4-4 with a triple and a grand slam. Freshman Arthur Goldstein also impressed in his first start for the Eagles, going 2-3. The boys are in the midst of a stretch of home games this week.
Golf The boys golf team kicked off the season with a 195-201 victory over Gunn at San Jose Country Club. In the first match of his Harker career, freshman Dakota McNealy took medalist honors with a one over par 34. Not far behind were senior Maverick McNealy with a 35 and sophomore Shrish Dwivedi with a 38. The Eagles play Pinewood next Monday in their league opener.
Volleyball The boys host Leigh on Wednesday and travel to Willow Glen on Friday.
The boys’ march through the playoffs has come to an end after a 53-46 loss against league-rival Menlo last Saturday at Menlo. The teams had rocketed into their quarterfinal showdown after splitting their two matchups during the regular season. The loss marks a tough end to a very strong run by the the team. The boys had advanced to the playoffs after earning a #6 seed with a 17-7 overall record and an 11-3 record in league play. Their sterling play earned the team a first-round bye as they waited to play the winner of a first-round matchup between Stevenson and Pacific Grove. Pacific Grove defeated Stevenson, setting into motion a second-round game between Pacific Grove and Harker last Thursday at Blackford. There, Harker muscled through to a 64-56 victory. Senior Nikhil Panu led the way with a team-high 21 points and sophomore Nic Nguyen played well on all sides of the ball, delivering 13 points, five assists, and seven steals. That win set up the final game of the season against Menlo. Thanks to all of the fans for their support, and congratulations to the boys on their season!
The girls dropped their second-round game against Monte Vista Christian, 53-35, to cap off a season that saw them go 17-6 overall and 7-3 in league play, good for a third-place finish in the WBAL. The girls won their postseason game against 11th-seeded Ocean High School 51-40, setting up the challenge against #6-seeded Monte Vista Christian. Please congratulate the girls for their strong play, especially graduating seniors Daniza Rodriguez, Priscilla Auyueng, Emily Chu, Shreya Vemuri and Rebecca Liu.
Lacrosse
Girls lacrosse had three victories in their jamboree on Saturday in Menlo and then won their home opener on Monday against Tamalpais High School at Davis Field, 18-6. Michelle Douglas, grade 12, led the team with six goals, while Hannah Bollar, grade 10, added five and Wendy Shwe, grade 12, scored four. Tiphaine Delepine and Sam Hoffman, both grade 12, also added scores, while Delepine, Allison Kiang, grade 10, and Adrienne Mendel, grade 12, tacked on assists. Christine Lee, grade 11, had 10 saves in net as the girls’ season got off to a strong start.
Track and Field
Track and field competed at the Bellarmine Meet this Saturday with solid performances from sophomores Julia Wang and Corey Gonzales and seniors Sumit Minocha and Michael Chen, among others. They compete at Mitty and Willow Glen this week.
Lower and Middle School Update
Girls basketball
Grade 8 Varsity A team: 5-2, currently in second place in the WBAL. Key performers are Joelle Anderson, Jordan Thompson and Lindsey Trinh.
Grade 7 Varsity B team: 5-0, currently in first place in the WBAL. Key performers are Satchi Thockchom and Tiffany Shou.
Grade 6 JV A team: 0-5, currently tied for eighth place in the WBAL.Key performers are Jennifer Hayashi and Deana Kajmakovic.
Grade 5 JV B team: 2-2, currently in third place in the WBAL. Key performers are Haley Arena and Grace Hajjar.
Grade 4 JV C team: 4-0, currently in first place in the WBAL. Key performers are Courtney Thompson and Sarah Raymond.
Boys soccer
Grade 8 Varsity A team: 0-3, currently tied for sixth place in the WBAL. Key performers are Joseph Krackeler, Zayne Khouja and Quentin Delepine.
Grade 7 Varsity B team: 2-0, currently tied for first place in the WBAL. Key performers are Rohit Shah, Vedant Shah and Neelesh Ramachandran.
Grade 6 JV A team: 2-1-1, currently in third place in the WBAL. Key performers are Jarrett Anderson, Edwin Su, Stephan Sokolov and Brandon Bien.
Grade 5 JV B team: 4-0, currently in first place in the WBAL. Key performers are Darshan Chahal, Andrew Cheplyansky and Asmit Kumar.
On Feb. 6, students Michael Amick, Siobhan Cox, Karan Das-Grande and Andy Perez, all grade 12, each signed a national letter of intent to play their respective sports at the college level. Amick will join the UCLA men’s soccer squad, Cox will play women’s soccer at Stanford, Das-Grande pledged to play water polo at Connecticut College and Perez signed to play men’s soccer at University of California, Santa Barbara. Classmate Maverick McNealy signed with Stanford for golf in November. Watch for the full story of Harker letter of intent signers in the spring 2013 edition of Harker Quarterly.
This summer, the Harker summer program will offer its first-ever softball camp for girls in grades 4-8. Open to players of all skill levels, the camp will cover offensive and defensive drills and simulate in-game situations to help players build confidence and improve their skills on the field.
The camp will also have students work on fundamental skills such as throwing, catching, fielding hitting and base-running, all in a fun, positive environment managed by trained and experienced coaches.
“This is the first year for our summer softball camp so we are excited and ready to get it going,” said softball coach Raul Rios, who led Harker’s upper school varsity softball team to its first CCS playoff appearance in 2011. “I am looking into getting some guest college players to help us with the program and also to speak to the girls about being student athletes at the college level.”
Harker’s summer softball camp will run June 24-28, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Harker’s middle school campus, located at 3800 Blackford Ave. in San Jose. Registration for the camp is at the The Harker Summer Sports Camps website.