![“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)
Eight new sports spring into action
Neil Bai performs a backhand close to the net during his match against King’s Academy. The boys won 6-1.
March 3, 2016
Boys tennis
Boys tennis started practicing at the Blackford Campus tennis courts on Feb. 1 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The boys did well last season, qualifying for CCS and finishing their regular season with a 16-3 record.
“I’m excited to play against many other schools and travel with my team and bond with them,” Swapnil Garg (10) said, ”I hope to improve on my serve because it always goes out, and sometimes I can hit it well, but other times I will hit it too hard.”
The team won its first league match against King’s Academy 6-1.
Track and Field
The track and field team started practicing at Blackford Feb. 1 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with head coach Scott Chisam. Last year a couple school records were broken, including the girl’s 4×100 relay record.
“Last year was my first time seriously competing in the 800 meters, so I was really surprised at how I was able to improve through the season, so I’m looking forward to getting a better time this season,” Gloria Guo (10) said. “I also really enjoyed racing with my team in the 4×100 meter relay and I hope we can break even more school records.”
The team prepares for their first meet on March 5 at Willow Glen.
Swimming
The swimming team started practicing at Singh Aquatic Center on the Saratoga campus on Feb. 1 from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. with a new Head Coach Tania Chadwick.
“I’m trying to improve my leadership and work ethic. I’m going to be working the most on my 100 backstroke because I want to get the CCS cup for that.” Kevin Tzeng (10) said.
The team prepares for their first meet on Friday at Monta Vista High School.
Baseball
Nate Kelly (10) prepares to pitch the ball. The boys’ baseball team won against North Valley Baptist 11-2.
Boys baseball started practice on Feb. 1 with Head Coach Mike Delfino from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at the Blackford campus baseball diamond. The team ended last season 9-14.
“Baseball is fun, and I like it, so it makes me want to come out and support Harker’s sports. I like that baseball shows teamwork and commitment,” Tanay Kamat (10) said. “I’m not a very good hitter, so I hope to improve on my batting.”
The team beat Northern Valley Baptist yesterday 11-2.
Softball
Girls varsity softball had their first practice on Feb. 1 and has a total of 16 players.
They started their season the week of Feb. 22 with 3 games with Head Coach Raul Rios.
“I’d like to get a winning season, but most of all everyone learn and have fun,” Rios said.
The results of last year’s season for varsity softball was 9-9-0. Their first game was on Feb. 22 against Overfelt High School’s junior varsity team.
Lacrosse
Senior Aishu Murari cradles the ball as she tries to get past a Gunn defender. The girls lost to Gunn and play York High School at home tomorrow.
Head Coach Andrew Irvine held the first practice for Girls Lacrosse on Feb. 1 at the Blackford campus. The season results for girls lacrosse last year was 7-13-0. The first game of their season was on Feb. 25 against Archbishop Mitty High School, and their next game is tomorrow on Davis Field.
Boys golf
Boys golf had their first practice at Pruneridge Golf Course on Feb. 1, with Head Coach Ie-Chen Cheng.
“I’m doing golf to just play golf, have fun, improve my skills,” Sunny Jayam (10) said, “I’m looking forward to scoring lower, getting better at the game, having fun with friends, all that.”
Their first match took place on Feb. 18 against St. Francis High School.
Boys volleyball
Boys volleyball started practices on Feb. 1 with Head Coach Mike Aitken at the Bucknall campus. For the 2014-2015 season, the boys volleyball season results were 10-19-0.
The boys played an away game at Oak Grove High School yesterday and play Monterey High School tomorrow.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 3, 2016.
