![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Spring Sports look ahead to the upcoming season
Marita Del Alto (11) pitches during the softball team’s game against Harbor High School on Mar. 5.
Girls’ Lacrosse
Varsity lacrosse comes off a 15-4 win against York School on Mar. 6 after losing 20-3 in its season-opener against Mercy-Burlingame on Feb. 24.
Varsity lacrosse team captain Hannah Bollar’s (12) goal for this season is to build a strong team for the upcoming seasons after she and the other five seniors on the roster graduate. In spite of the team’s having lost veteran players and gained younger players, Hannah is confident that the team will improve this season.
Track and Field
Track and field had its second meet on Saturday, Mar. 7. Niki Iyer (10) set the school record again in the 3200m race.
According to Katy Rees, first year assistant coach and Upper School history teacher, many more students are participating in track and field this season.
“We definitely had a stronger turnout during February vacation than we’ve had in the past, which is great,” Rees said.
Due to the larger turnout this season, Rees expects the team to steadily improve overall.
Swimming
The Upper School swim team had its first meet on Mar. 11 against Crystal Springs and Mercy-Burlingame at Saratoga.
Coach Andrew Booth, who used to coach Lower School swimming, started coaching varsity swimming this season. Captain Delaney Martin (12) believes that participation has increased for the sport from an effort standpoint as well.
“Overall, I think a lot of people last year were casual about coming to practice everyday but this year, people have been coming to practice every day and really working hard to swim for all of practice,” she said. “With the change in coaches, we’ve had a more focused approach to commitment and coming to practice.”
Their next meet is on Mar. 25 at Sacred Heart Prep.
Boys’ Volleyball
The varsity boys’ volleyball played its season-opening game against Oak Grove High School at Blackford on Wednesday.
Sophomore Andrew Gu has noticed major differences between his two seasons on the high school team.
“This year we lost a lot of seniors, so we have to improve,” he said. “We have a lot of new freshmen who have never played before, a couple sophomores who haven’t played before.”
Apart from the changes in the roster, new varsity head coach Tristan Burton brings a different coaching style to the team.
“[Coach Burton is] really technical and emphasizes the fundamentals, making sure everyone has the right form and making sure we don’t learn anything wrong,” Andrew said.
Golf
Varsity golf earned a 192-202 away victory against Sacred Heart Prep on Mar. 4 at the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.
The team hopes to build on last year’s season, during which the team reached the second round of CCS and placed fifth overall in the tournament.
“My goals [for the team] are to get past CCS, win NorCals, and make it to states,” Colt McNealy (10) said.
This year, the team has fresh talent with nine new freshman golfers, so it has the potential to continue improving over the upcoming seasons as players gain experience.
Boys’ Baseball
The varsity baseball team practices at Blackford. The team started its season with a 12-1 victory against North Valley Baptist at Blackford on Feb. 27.
Varsity baseball started its season with a 12-1 home victory against North Valley Baptist at Blackford on Feb. 27.
Varun Haltore (10) is excited for the baseball program’s expansion this year.
“Last year we had 12 to 13 guys. Now it’s up to 24. If we didn’t have to cut anyone, we could even have a JV. That’s a long way from last year,” he said. “We’re pretty hyped for this season. We have a lot of good guys and we have young guys so we are going to keep on growing.”
Girls’ Softball
The varsity girls’ softball team won its season opener 18-8 against Gunderson High School at Gunderson on Mar. 3.
Sarah Bean (12), who plays third base and is one of three captains of the softball team, believes that the team has improved significantly since the last spring season, which the team finished with just one win overall.
“At this point I think that we are definitely ahead of last year’s team,” Sarah said. “I think this team has solid potential.”
The team has seen significant growth to their size and look forward to a successful season.
Boys’ Tennis
The varsity boys’ tennis team faced its first set of matches at King’s Academy on Tuesday, Mar. 3.
Michael Zhao (11) believes that the large number of freshmen and sophomores playing varsity tennis this year will allow the program to continue growing.
“Our team this year is filled with freshmen and sophomores, which bodes well for the future of the program,” he said in an email interview. “Though this year, we have less people than previous years, we are excited by the interest of the underclassmen.”
Michael believes that the coaching staff, which now only has one team to concentrate on, will improve the players individually, lending to overall improvement for the team.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 13, 2015.
Aditya Varshney (12) is the opinion editor of Harker Aquila and the Winged Post. This is his second year on staff. During his junior year, he occupied...
Trisha Dwivedi (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She was a reporter her freshman year, Business Manager of the Winged Post her sophomore year...