Winter sports are wrapping up! January Athletes of the Month are sophomore Priscilla Auyeung, basketball, and classmate Michael Amick, soccer.
Wrestling
Wrestler Santosh Swaminathan, grade 12, became Harker’s first-ever league champion this past weekend! Classmate Chris McCallaCreary placed second, losing 4-2 in the finals. Senior Jason Mendel also placed second in his weight, making this the first time Harker has ever had three league finalists. All three have qualified for CCS in two weeks. At the end of January, McCallaCreary won the 160-lb. weight class at Overfelt High School. McCallaCreary defeated both the first- and second-ranked wrestlers in CCS on his way to taking the tournament championship.
The girls basketball team lost their first-ever WBAL league playoff game to Sacred Heart Prep 56-41 in mid-February and now await their CCS seeding. They defeated Crystal Springs and King’s Academy in early February to finish up the regular season with a record-setting 19-3 overall record and second place league finish. In their Jan. 25 Mercy-Burlingame match, a close game was anticipated, but no one expected three overtimes. Mercy-Burlingame made last-second shots to tie at the end of regulation and again to force the second and third overtimes, but our Eagles eventually held off the Crusaders for a 56-53 victory. Rodriguez scored 27 points for the Eagles, and Tanya Rai, grade 12, had 12 rebounds in that game.
Boys basketball had their final home game in mid-February versus a tough Pinewood team, nailing them 61-52. Senior Partha Mahajani scored 15 points, junior Stephen Hughes had 12 and Nikhil Panu, grade 10, scored 10 points. In previous play, the boys defeated Crystal Springs but lost to King’s Academy in early February. Prior to that, the team put up a tough fight against first place Sacred Heart, losing 56-38 (Vik Jain, grade 11, had 10 points) but in late January handled ECP, 44-29.
Cheerleading
In late January, our two senior cheerleaders, Amanda King and Alice Loofbourrow, were recognized for their four years of contributing to Harker athletics. Thanks to both girls!
Soccer
Varsity boys soccer had a fine week in early February defeating Crystal Springs and Pinewood to improve to 5-4-3. Catch their final two home games Wed., Feb. 16 and Fri., Feb. 18 on Davis Field. Ambrish Amaranathan and Isaac Madan were the senior boy soccer players lauded for their years of participation in mid-February prior to their game against KIPP San Jose Collegiate on Davis Field.
Girls soccer lost to ECP and Crystal Springs in early February and face Notre Dame Feb. 15. The team lost to Notre Dame in late January, but three cheers to Alicia Clark, grade 9, who was awarded the game ball by coach Troy Thiele for her improved game. Girls soccer seniors Monisha Appalaraju, Lydia Demissachew, Michelle Holt, Arthi Kumar and Priya Sahdev were thanked for their contributions in mid-February on Davis Field. GO EAGLES!
On Dec. 22, Katherine Zhu, grade 5, placed third in the girls’ 10-year-old division at the U.S. Kids Golf Tournament in Maui, Hawaii. She shot 80-85-78, for a total of 243 shots.
Nikash Shankar, grade 8, proved his skating prowess in Fresno at the 2010 Southwest Pacific Regional Skating Competition held from June 22-29. Shankar won first place in freestyle skating, first and third place in two of the figure skating events, and third place in the dance event. Based on his exemplary performance, he will advance to compete with other skaters from Western states in the regional competition in 2011. Meanwhile, Shankar is training to participate in state events to qualify for the National Figure Skating Championship.
Budding comedian and Harker senior Julian Wise debuted at the Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club in Sunnyvale this summer. He provided the opening act to physicist Norm Goldblatt’s “Science Laughs” and The Tonight Show’s Don McMillan. During the summer, Wise competed in San Jose ComedySportz’s “Left Coast Tournament,” and traveled to the ComedySportz in Los Angeles, where he won the “Comeback Kid” award.
Jerrica Liao, grade 5, is quickly becoming fantastic with a foil. In an Oct. 23 San Francisco Regional Youth Circuit competition, Liao won first place in the girls foil Y12 division, and placed third in Y10 girls foil. Two weeks later, Liao travelled to Phoenix, Ariz., to compete in the Bernie Stein Memorial: Super Youth Circuit (SYC) competition, where she placed second in girls foil in the Y10 division and eighth in Y12. Since SYC is a National Point event, Liao is now ranked fifth in the U.S. in Y10 girls foil and 32nd in the U.S. in Y12 girls foil. Liao has been a member of the California Fencing Academy for three years, and is currently a member of its national team. To watch the quick-handed Harker student in action, click here.
Vikram Vasan, grade 7, made a strong showing at the second annual Golden State Open Chess Tournament in Concord, Calif., over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend Jan. 14-17. Vasan (rating 1525) finished second out of players from California, Washington and Utah in the under 1,600 section, which included competition against adults. For his victory, Vasan claimed a monetary award of $750.
Longtime fencer Isaac Madan, grade 12, has qualified to fence in the World Cup in Madrid, Spain, in February and the Senior Grand Prix in Venice, Italy, in March. “These tournaments play a role in Olympic qualification,” said Madan, who fences for India’s senior and junior national teams. “I’ll be attending the Senior Grand Prix for sure; I’m still deciding on the World Cup. The qualification path is based on Indian national standing, which is basically tabulated by performance in various international competitions,” he said. Madan and another long-time Harker fencer, senior Ambrish Amaranathan, plan to represent Harker at the All-State Foil Championship in April, held annually in San Francisco.
On Jan. 12, Harker’s upper school boys and girls soccer teams held their annual Kicks Against Cancer event at Davis Field, raising nearly $8,000. The goal for this year’s fundraiser was to send four child cancer survivors to Camp Okizu, a camp program that specializes in activities and care for young cancer patients and survivors and their families.
Funds were raised by selling tickets (which came with a commemorative T-shirt) and bracelets during lunch on the days leading up to the event. A special fund for faculty and staff was also set up so they could have the option of donating an amount of their choosing. Michael Anthony’s Salon in Saratoga also helped fund the effort, graciously donating proceeds from all transactions made on Jan. 9, in addition to offering a 50 percent discount on haircuts and treatments and a 30 percent discount on all hair care products.
During the halftimes of both games, several teachers and coaches volunteered to be targets in the classic soccer-based game of “Butts Up,” during which they bent over in front of the goal while audience members took turns making penalty kicks at them.
The varsity girls soccer team lost to Pinewood 0-3, and the boys team defeated Eastside College Prep 3-0.
[Update] The girls varsity basketball team edged ICA on the road Friday 50-48 in a dramatic come-from-behind victory to set a program record with 14 wins in a single season! Priscilla Auyeung, grade 10, had 17 points and eight rebounds while classmate Daniza Rodriguez added 15 points. The girls (14-2 overall) host Mercy-Burlingame Tues., Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.. Congratulations ladies!
Jan. 18, 2011
Varsity girls basketball had their second loss on Jan. 11 to Notre Dame –San Jose 68-47, but defeated league foe Crystal Springs Jan. 14 59-39 to improve to 12-2 overall. Senior Roshni Bhatnagar scored 12 points and had six rebounds in the Crystal Springs game, while Daniza Rodriguez, grade 10, scored 15. The girls travel to Kings Tues., Jan. 18 and Immaculate Conception Academy on Fri., Jan. 21.
Junior varsity girls bBasketball posted their first win on Jan. 10 against Liberty Baptist; results of the Tuesday, Jan. 11 are not posted. The JV girls play tonight, Tuesday and Fri., Jan. 21 at King’s Academy and Priory, respectively.
Varsity boys basketball won on Jan. 10, but suffered their first league loss of the season the following Friday at Crystal Springs in a low scoring affair 36-33. The boys, now at 11-3 overall, hope to bounce back this week at Kings on Tuesday Jan. 18, and at Pinewood Fri., Jan. 21.
Junior varsity boys basketball is 8-5 in overall play this season, posting a win on Jan. 11 against Priory and playing Crystal Springs, though results from that game are not available. Their next outings are the same as varsity: Kings and Pinewood on Tuesday and Friday, respectively.
Our wrestlers competed in the Jim Root Tournament at Prospect High on Jan. 15. Jason Mendel, grade 12, placed fourth, Santosh Swaminathan, grade 12, second, and senior Chris McCallaCreary once again took the championship and is now ranked 27th in the state of California, another Harker first! Jan. 20, the team wrestles at home in one of only three home matches, so come support these outstanding athletes as they compete against Fremont High School, 5:30 at Blackford.
Varsity boys soccer has won their last three outings, so are now 3-2 in league with their victories at Eastside College Prep last Tuesday and at Crystal Springs Uplands Friday 5-1. The boys take their winning streak on the road Friday at Menlo.
Junior varsity boys soccer tied University Prep Academy on Jan. 10, and play KIPP San Jose Collegiate Tues., Jan. 18, at Harker and Menlo School Fri., Jan. 21 at Menlo.
Varsity Girls soccer is having a tough season but is showing incremental improvements. The team played to a 0-0 tie Friday against St. Francis-Watsonville where goalie Indica Sur, grade 10, earned her first career shutout. Come support the girls on Davis Field Tues., Jan. 18 vs. Mercy and Thurs., Jan. 20. vs. ECP. Both games are at 3:30 p.m.
Junior varsity girls soccer is splitting the season, 2-2-1 so far, with their most recent win against University last Thursday. They have their final games Tuesday and Wednesday Jan. 25-26 against the Leadership Public School and Immaculate Conception, both at Harker.
Wrestling Wrestlers competed in two tournaments in December and posted great results in both. At the Webber Lawson Tournament hosted by Fremont High School, the boys made school history with three champions in a varsity tournament. Seniors Santosh Swaminathan, Jason Mendel and Chris McCallaCreary won their divisions in the 103-, 109- and 171-pound weight classes, respectively. McCallaCreary was awarded one of the two outstanding wrestler awards at the tournament. As a whole, the team placed fourth out of 20 teams, another school record for a varsity tournament.
The next week the team traveled to the Coast Classic hosted by Scotts Valley High School. Once again the varsity team did well with three athletes placing in the top eight. Swaminathan and McCallaCreary placed second while Mendel took sixth. The boys continue their season in January [see related story] with tournaments every weekend including the prestigious Mid Cal tournament hosted by Gilroy High School, which will feature many of the state’s best wrestlers.
Girls Basketball The girls basketball team entered the Del Mar Tournament over the winter break at 6-0. The girls made the finals by defeating Del Mar and Santa Clara, but lost to a tough Leigh High School team in the championship match. Daniza Rodriguez and Priscilla Auyeung, both grade 10, were named to the all-tournament team. The girls finished up December with an impressive 8-1 record and look to play against tough competition in January.
Boys Basketball Varsity boys basketball has been successful in preseason play, including some big tournament finishes. This included the Phoenix Cactus Jam Tournament over the holidays, which featured teams from all over the West Coast. At the Jam, the boys went 2-1 with big victories over Bolsa Grande of Southern California and St. Albert’s, a team from Canada. Unfortunately the team fell to a tough Colony High team from Alaska. At the end of the winter break the boys were 8-2 and opened league play in early January.
Girls Soccer The Eagles traveled to the Garces Tournament, a tough tournament in Bakersfield, over the break and went 0-2-1. Apurva Gorti, grade 9, scored for the Eagles in their tie with West High School. She was assisted by Priya Sahdev, grade 12, on the goal. Indica Sur, grade 10, had 26 saves in goal over the three games at the tournament. The girls have several more games in early January.
Boys Soccer The boys had one game over the winter break, against Pioneer High School. Though playing a man down most of the game, they made the match a close one, losing 2-1. Michael Amick, grade 10, scored the Eagles’ only goal on a penalty kick.
On the afternoon of Dec. 21, Harker’s upper school varsity girls soccer team had a friendly match with a team of Harker alumnae at Davis Field. The game, won by the alumnae team with a score of 2-0, was organized by Harker math teacher and soccer coach Troy Thiele and was a good opportunity for current students and alumnae to enjoy mingle and enjoy some friendly competition. Following the game, a special pizza dinner was held where alumnae and current students socialized and shared Harker memories just before the Saratoga campus closed for winter break.
Harker wrestlers competed in Cupertino’s Gary Bianchi Memorial Tournament Jan. 8 and came away with two championships. Santosh Swaminathan, grade 12, placed first in the 103 pound class; classmate Chris McCallaCreary defeated a state ranked wrestler from St. Francis to win his championship. Coach Karriem Stinson called McCallaCreary’s victory “the biggest win in the program’s history.” Read more about Harker winter sports!
Santaclarabroncos.com, Jan. 6 – Tanya Schmidt ’07 is the subject of a front-page feature story on the Santa Clara Broncos’ website. The article discusses her outstanding performance both as a star volleyball player and as a student; Schmidt currently holds a 3.96 grade point average.
San Jose Mercury News, Dec. 8, 2010 – Grade 12 student and varsity water polo co-captain Chris Ng is named as an honorable mention in the All-Mercury News teams section.
San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 7, 2010 – Columnist Sal Pizarro mentions Harker’s visit by Lady Catherine Longworth, the former Lord Mayor of Westminster, who invited the Harker upper school orchestra to perform at London’s 2012 New Year’s Day parade.
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal Giving Guide, Nov. 5, 2010 – The magazine places Harker at 11th among the 50 highest-earning nonprofit organizations in Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, Nov. 5, 2010 – Nichols Hall is named one of the top 25 LEED-certified spaces in Silicon Valley.
National Latin Exam Newsletter, Fall 2010 – 2010 graduate Margaret Woods, now a freshman at Santa Clara University, is mentioned as a recipient of a 2010 National Latin Exam Scholarship.
SeriousEnergy.com – SeriousEnergy, a company specializing in products and services that reduce energy costs, recently published a case study about Harker on its website. Harker and SeriousEnergy have worked together to achieve many of the school’s energy goals.
Jan. 14, 2011
[Update] The middle school boys Varsity A (grade 8) are both league and tournament champs for the first time! “We survived a great effort from Menlo yesterday and prevailed in the tournament championship game 20-14 in overtime,” said coach Mike Delfino. “Menlo did a great job slowing down the tempo, holding the ball for two to three minutes sometimes before shooting, and not allowing us to quicken the tempo of the game.
“Our guys adjusted well, were patient, and took advantage when the opportunities presented themselves. We like to run the ball up and down the court and push the tempo — it’s what we’re most comfortable doing, so it’s a credit to our players to be able to still win a game where they had to adjust to a completely different style of play. Incredibly, the game was tied at 13 after regulation play. Srivinay Irrinki hit a huge three pointer to start the overtime and Eric Holt helped ice the game with some clutch free throws.
It’s the first time a Harker middle school basketball team has ever won the league championship and the WBAL Tournament in the same season,” Delfino noted. Congrats to all the Grade 8 Varsity A basketball players!
Incredibly the game was tied at 13 after regulation. Srivinay Irrinki hit a huge three pointer to start the overtime and Eric Holt helped ice the game with some clutch free throws.
Jan. 13, 2011
[Update] The boys Varsity A team defeated Pinewood 53-38 last night in the semifinals of the WBAL Tournament. Eric Holt led all scorers with 26 points, 16 coming in the first half as the team built an 11 point halftime lead. “I thought all 10 of our guys played very well,” said coach Mike Delifino. “This was the second time in six days we played Pinewood and last week they were much more aggressive than we were and really took it to us. In that game, I thought we were very fortunate to come away with a 2-point win, but last night was different. Our guys were much more aggressive from the start and really did a nice job dictating the tempo of the game, especially on defense where we were able to force a lot of early turnovers. It really was a complete effort on both sides of the ball.” The boys play their final game of the year tonight at Blackford against either Menlo or King’s Academy at 6 p.m. The boys have beaten both those teams in regular season play, so have a good chance of adding the title of tournament champs to their already-earned league champioinship, tonight! See below for details of their exciting season
Jan. 10, 2011
[Update] The middle school boys Varsity A (grade 8) team) finished up a stellar season with a heartbreaker, losing to St. Simon’s on Friday 48-40. The team finished the season 7-1; see below for details. The game Jan. 7 was, “a very good game between two very good teams,” said coach Mike Delfino. “St Simon players were big and fast but it was back and forth all the way. I thought we played very well. We had some chances –we were down just four with about two minutes to play, but missed a couple of key free throws and a couple of shots and couldn’t close the gap.” The team will play in the WBAL post-season tournament starting this week on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at St. Joseph’s.
Jan. 7, 2011
[Update] The middle school boys Varsity A (grade 8) team squeaked by Pinewood to complete league play unbeaten! “It was a battle,” said coach Mike Delfino. “Pinewood played very well. We escaped at the end 29-27. Srivinay Irrinki hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left to win it.” Tonight is the final regular season game against St. Simon of Los Altos at 4 p.m. in the Saratoga campus gym. Come on out and cheer the boys to victory in this tough final match!
Jan. 6, 2011
[Update] The middle school boys Varsity A (grade 8) team has two games left to win to complete an unbeaten season: Pinewood on Thurs., Jan. 6, and St. Simon of Los Altos on Fri., Jan. 7. The Pinewood game is at 4 p. m. at Bucknall and if the boys win they are league champions and unbeaten in league play. If they beat non-league St. Simon, a very good team, according to coach Mike Delfino, that ends their regular season unbeaten. That game is at Saratoga at 4 p.m., and spectators are welcome at both games! The team then plays in a league tournament next week to finish the season.
Jan. 5, 2011
The middle school Varsity A (grade 8) and Varsity B (grade 7 and 8) basketball teams both fought for league titles Jan. 4, with the A team winning 32-17 and the B team going down 24-33. Both games were held at the Blackford campus with a solid crowd of supporters.
The Varsity A game was a showdown with Menlo School that left the Harker team with a 5-0 record in league play with one game left to play against Pinewood this Thursday at Blackford. The team has beaten every team except Pinewood, their last opponent, who already has two losses. That means that even if Harker loses, no other team will have better than a 5-1 record, and even then will have already been beaten by Harker, leaving the league championship squarely in Harker’s hands!
“I’m sure there’s no way we can be caught,” said coach Mike Delfino. “We are now 7-0 overall and that includes a 51-46 win over a very strong Willow Glen Middle School on their home court.”
In Tuesday’s game, “We were able to jump ahead early,” said Delfino. “We were very solid defensively and though we weren’t shooting well, we rebounded well and got a lot of second chance points, allowing us to jump to a 16-2 halftime lead. The second half was a little more back and forth. Menlo closed to within eight points, but then we moved the lead back up to 14 and by the end of the third quarter it was 27-11. Last quarter was a chance to get everyone some playing time and the final was 32-17.”
The team has a tough non-league game against St. Simon on Friday, Jan. 7, and the league tournament follows next week, but pairings won’t be available until at least Friday as teams finish their final games. “I can tell you that we should be the top seed and probably will have a first round bye,” said Delfino.
“The tournament (next week) doesn’t determine a league champion,” Delfino continued. “That is done during the season. This is a separate tournament involving the teams in our league where they seed according to their season finish.”
Delfino noted the team has earned its kudos this season. “I know the chance at an undefeated season would mean a lot to the kids, and let me emphasize that the success the boys have had this year is entirely due to their hard work and efforts,” he said. “They are a wonderful group to coach. They know when to have fun and when to be ready to play.
“The fact that the boys were lucky enough to win the league title is completely a reflection on them. They made it happen; I was just along for the ride. They are truly a terrific bunch of young men. Individually, I’d like to acknowledge the efforts of Eric Holt and Srivinay Irrinki, whose performances have been clutch all year. Also, I would like to commend Avik Wadhwa and Vamsi Gadiraju, not only for their solid efforts in the win over Menlo but for their contributions all year long. It’s really been a team effort,” Delfino concluded.
Famed beach volleyball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh visited the Blackford campus on Dec. 21 to give a pair of volleyball clinics to middle and lower school students. A Bay Area native and volleyball star since college, Walsh attended Archbishop Mitty High School and won national titles in 1996 and 1997 while at Stanford University. With her teammate Misty May-Treanor, Walsh was awarded Sportswoman of the Year from the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2004 and 2006. The appearance was arranged with the help of Harker volleyball coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith, a long-time friend of Walsh’s.
“It was really amazing because she’s like my role model and I want to be just like her when I’m older,” said Shannon Richardson, grade 7.
Walsh ran the students through several warm-up exercises and drills, having them work on fundamental aspects of the game such as passing and setting.
“I think fundamentals get glossed over a little bit,” Walsh said. “I feel like, especially at this age level, you need to take the time to really just break the game down.”
Students spent a significant portion of the lesson in pairs, passing and setting the ball to each other. In another exercise, Walsh hit the ball toward each student, who then made an attempt to keep the ball from touching the floor, a skill known as digging. After working rigorously on ball control, the focus shifted briefly to hitting and spiking.
Ball control, Walsh said, is especially important for young volleyball players to learn, and said she noticed improvement in the students’ ball control as the clinic progressed. “If you have great ball control, that means you’ll be an asset to any team,” she said.
“She gave a lot of good advice to us,” said Doreen Kang, grade 7. “It’ll help me a lot.”
Walsh’s biggest piece of advice to the students was to believe in themselves: “Don’t be afraid to look silly and take risks, because that’s when you become great, when you take those risks, and learn from your mistakes.”