![“[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)
- Baseball
- Boys Golf
- Boys Tennis
- Boys Volleyball
- Girls Lacrosse
- Sports
- Spring Sports
- Swimming
- Track and Field
- Winged Post
8 sports spring into action
Alysa Suleiman, Muthu Panchanatham, Anna Vazhaeparambil, Srinath Somasundaram, Eric Fang, Irina Malyugina and Emily Tan
February 28, 2020
Eight spring sports — boys golf, girls lacrosse, baseball, softball, swimming, boys tennis, track and field and boys volleyball — began their regular season practices on Feb. 4, with most teams beginning competitive play next week.
Boys Golf
The boys golf team, head coached by Ie-Chen Cheng and co-captained by Bryan Zhang (11) and Gabriel Yang (11), will look to continue their streak of six consecutive league championships this season.
“We’re all practicing really hard individually. We all want to do really well coming into the first few weeks of tryouts,” Bryan said. “We have some crucial matches in the first few weeks, so we want to succeed in those matches.”
Last season, the team finished sixth at the CCS championships. Fielding a team of 11 golfers, the boys will look to defeat league rivals Menlo once again for the league championship.
Girls Lacrosse
The varsity girls lacrosse team, coached by new head coach Tarin Tobin, is preparing for their first matchup of the season against Willow Glen on Feb. 25. Seniors on the team this year include Simren Gupta, Lila Gorman, Naviya Kapadia and Nellie Tonev.
“I’m really excited to get to know everyone and bond with my team. After not playing lacrosse last year, it’s nice to ease back into it because it’s fun and gives you a rush of adrenaline and allows you to get everything off your mind,” player Michelle Jin (9) said.
Baseball
The boys baseball team began their season with preseason practices beginning in January, varying from hitting drills to calling exercises. The captains of this year’s team are Max Lee (12), Nick Coulter (11) and Levi Sutton (11), under head coach Mike Delfino.
“It’s nice being with a team where everyone supports each other,” Aaron Lo (10), a varsity baseball player, said.
Softball
Under the guidance of head coach Raul Rios and captain Natasha Yen (11), the girls softball team is looking to notch another successful season, beginning with a March 3 matchup against Gunn.
“I’m excited to play at the high school level and to play with my friends. I’m the only pitcher this year so I’ll be getting a lot of time to play which is nice,” Katelyn Abellera (9), the pitcher for this year’s team, said.
Swimming
The swim team will consist of 29 swimmers this season, including several water polo players and club swimmers.
“We would love to win CCS.” varsity head coach Tania Chadwick said. “This year is probably the most club swimmers that I’ve seen, and I think that the numbers that they bring will be amazing for our team.”
The Eagles capped last season by placing fourth at the CIF State Meet, with Ethan Hu (12), who committed to swim for Stanford earlier this year, breaking state records in the 200 Individual Medley (IM) and the 100 Butterfly.
“Every year we’ve gotten better since I’ve been here, so I’m really confident and feeling good for the team and we’re going to have a good season,” Chadwick said.
Boys Tennis
For the boys tennis team, this season will be aimed at finally securing the WBAL league championship this season, after their only losses last season came to league champions Menlo.
“I think this year, we’re looking like we’re in shape to pose a challenge to Menlo for the first time in 30 years,” varsity boys tennis captain Mihir Sharma said. “Right now, it looks like we’re at the strongest that we’ve been for a while.”
With head coach John Fruttero at the helm, the Eagles will field both a full junior varsity and varsity squad.
Track and Field
The track and field team, following a preseason that began in December, will be coached by Samantha Salfen, who was previously an assistant coach.
“My goal this season is for everyone to try their best — asking questions, having fun and building a team morale that includes everyone,” Salfen said.
This year, the team utilized the weight room for preseason work out sessions, building towards their first meet on Feb. 29 at Bellarmine.
“Track and field people just think it’s a lot of running and there’s actually a lot more strength that goes into it than a lot of people realize. Hopefully, working out in the weight room will be seen in the results when the season starts,” Salfen said.
Boys Volleyball
The varsity boys volleyball team, following a historic 2019 season that saw the Eagles rank fourth in the nation and lose a five-set heartbreaker in the NorCal finals, will look to replicate their successes in the 2020 season despite several key seniors graduating. The team will be coached by first-year head coach Zac Mattson as they look to notch another successful season.
