![“[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)
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- Boys Tennis
- Boys Volleyball
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- Online Exclusive
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- Sports
- Spring Sports
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
Weekly roundup: Spring sports kick off with a splash
Harker swimmers attend practice on Mar. 6. After a strong performance at the Palo Alto Invitational on Saturday, Mar 2, the swimming team continues training for their next tournament on Mar. 14.
March 10, 2019
Baseball
The varsity baseball team’s games against Del Mar High School on Tuesday and Woodside High School on Thursday have been canceled due to the weather and are aiming to be rescheduled in April. The team defeated Pinewood on Friday, ending with a final score of 7-5 and a season record of 2-2.
With Nicholas Coulter (10) and Ellis Goldman (10) both hitting doubles early in the match and Zach Hoffman (12) and Max Lee (11) making key hits near the end, the Eagles ensured their lead over Pinewood. Additionally, pitchers Trevor Thompson (12) and Ian Williamson (10) led a strong defense and were also instrumental in securing the win.
The team next plays against Jefferson High School on Mar. 12 at 4 p.m.
Golf
Although their match against Crystal Springs Uplands this week was also canceled because of the rain, the golf team’s last game against Kings Academy and Crystal Springs the week before started the season with an early win.
Aditya Tadimeti (10) earned his first medalist honor, shooting one over par 36, and tied with junior Jaimin Bhagat and freshman Arvin Nidadavolu, who played his career-best round.
Sophomore Bowen Yin acknowledges that despite the challenge of losing seven seniors from last year, he is confident that the team can still have a strong season.
“We’ve been practicing harder and our coaches have been really helpful and motivating, so I think we’re hopefully going to do pretty well [in the upcoming games],” Bowen said.
The team will play King’s Academy on Mar. 11, at 3:30 p.m.
Lacrosse
The varsity lacrosse team lost to Sacred Heart Prep by 14-3 on Tuesday after a difficult game, bringing their overall record to 2-2. Players Lisa Barooah (10) scored twice and Heidi Zhang (12) scored once during the match, and goalie Nellie Tonev (11) had an impressive 56 save percentage, blocking the majority of the opponents’ shots.
Challenged with many injured and sick teammates, the team was forced to reschedule Friday’s game against Saratoga High after not having enough players, but despite this difficult start to their season, they are optimistic about their upcoming game against Lincoln High School on Mar. 13.
“Although [this week] has been especially difficult, the entire team always puts exceptional effort into everything, and we really rose up despite the handicaps we had,” Nellie said. “In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to work on maintaining possession through picking up ground balls and making smart passes, which really make a huge difference in the games.”
Softball
The girls softball team defeated Crystal Springs Uplands on Tuesday, with co-captain Anika Rajamani (12) hitting the two home runs of the game, bringing the final score up to 12-7. This is the girls’ first win of the season, increasing their overall record to 1-3 and their league record to 1-1.
Because of the weather, the team’s game on Thursday against Pinewood has been rescheduled to a later date, and the girls are currently preparing for their upcoming match versus Notre Dame-Belmont on Mar. 14.
“I am looking forward to watching this team grow throughout the season, especially because [this] is the best I have ever seen the team just starting out,” co-captain Taylor Lam (12) said. “I think a big part [of what we’re working on] is just making sure that we have a good bullpen [substitute pitchers on a softball team] to get us through the season, especially after the recent graduation of our past pitcher.”
Swimming
After a strong performance at the Palo Alto Invitational on Saturday, Mar. 2, the swimming team continues training for their next tournament on Mar. 14, hosted at Harker.
The boys 200 medley relay team of Andrew Chang (10), Matthew Chung (10), Rhys Edwards (10) and Alex Yu (12) and the 200 free relay team of Andrew, Matthew, Arnav Joshi (11) and Alex qualified for CCS at the tournament. Additionally, Matthew took first place in the 200 medley and the 100 fly, making the CCS cut times in these individual events and in the 50 free as well, along with Rhys.
Swim coach Tania Chadwick adds that after the wins at the Palo Alto Invitational, she is looking forward to witnessing her team’s growth throughout the season, especially that of the incoming freshmen.
“We have a really good group of freshman swimmers that we haven’t seen in action yet, so we’re excited about that,” Chadwick said. “In general, we want to really develop [their skills] as our program continues [to get] bigger and bigger every year, which is great.”
Tennis
The varsity tennis team defeated Sacred Heart Prep 6-1 on Monday. Due to the rain, their matches against Aragon on Wednesday and Menlo on Thursday were canceled, and Menlo’s game was rescheduled to Friday, where the boys lost 5-2.
The boys are currently 2-1 in league, as they prepare to host King’s Academy on Mar. 11 at 4:15 p.m.
Track and Field
Last weekend, on Mar 2, the track and field team participated in the Willow Glen Invitational, starting their spring season with multiple wins.
The boys varsity relay team of Andrew Chen (9), Mitchell Granados (12), Anton Novikov (10), and Giovanni Rofa (11) placed third, Natasha Matta (9) won her heat in the 100-meter dash, and Ayush Vyas (12) achieved a personal best of 35 feet and 1.5 inches in the shot put.
The first WBAL meet will occur on Mar. 13 at 3 p.m.
Volleyball
The varsity boys volleyball team won their games against Homestead High School and Cupertino High School this week, bringing their overall record to 7-0 as they approach their next match against Saratoga High School on Mar. 13.
The team is also currently participating in the Best of the West Tournament this weekend, hosted by Poway High School in San Diego, CA.
Although they had some very close games, the junior varsity team is 0-7 this season and 0-4 in the league. After their losses to Homestead High School and Cupertino High School this week, co-captain Anish Kilaru notes that the team aims to improve their consistency on the court and communication with each other as they deal with challenges out of their control.
“This season overall has been pretty hectic, because we haven’t had a lot of practices and we went right into games from the very beginning,” Anish said. “It’s been hard to get a full squad in a game, so our team has learned to be really flexible and just play however we can.”
The JV team will next play against Los Gatos High School on Mar. 20.
