Varsity swimming celebrated senior night during the West Bay Athletic League Jamboree 6B meet at the Singh Aquatic Center on April 17. Harker hosted competitors from Crystal Springs Uplands, Design Tech, King’s Academy, Pinewood and Priory.
As part of their honorary ceremony, seniors Ashley Hong, Saahil Kajarekar, Ipsita Mandal, Diya Mukherjee and Lachlan Rossi ran through a tunnel formed by members of the swim team before head coach Sachi Ujifusa handed them bouquets and commended their time on the team with individual speeches.
Reflecting on her time on the Harker swim team, senior Ashley Hong gave advice to her teammates for future swim seasons.
“I’m a little bit sad because I’ve always really enjoyed the high school season,” Ashley said. “Swim is definitely a great community, so I would tell my teammates to keep up the good work and have fun in the coming years.”
Harker swimmers competed in a total of 29 events, taking first place in 18 of them. The Eagles finished with top results in the 200-yard medley relay, with the girls team of Ashley, Ipsita, Diya and Janam Chahal (10), and the boys team of Saahil, Lachlan, Adam Pawliger (11) and Eric Dong (10) finishing first in their respective groups. In the 500-yard freestyle race, frosh Eliana Chui took first place in the girls category, and sophomore Wenjie Zou finished first in the boys category.
Both teammates and audience members gathered around to cheer on the seniors for the last home meet of the season. Teammate Stella Yang (10) enjoyed this united community and also expressed that their imminent graduation was bittersweet for the team.
“We made posters for them, and we got to cheer for all of them,” Stella said. “I’ve gotten closer to a lot of them this year, especially because it’s my second year on the team. It’s sad to see them leave after getting to bond with them.”
Although the seniors had their frosh season cut short due to the pandemic, they nevertheless formed strong relationships and made many memorable moments together. Lachlan reminisced about his time on the team the past four years.
“It’s really sentimental because I’ve built a lot of really good friendships through the sport of swimming,” Lachlan said. “It was a good meet, and I had a great time swimming, cheering on my teammates and talking with my teammates and friends.”
Seniors were given the option to swim in the junior varsity events at their last home meet, but they all chose to compete in the varsity races. Ujifusa commends their dedication, which has grown with every season. She reflected on both their athletic skills and maturation within the team.
“This is the most mature group that we’ve had,” Ujifusa said. “They’ve become more serious about swim, and they’ve had crazy emotional mental growth. They’ve always been such a constant presence in this program. I just love them, and I will miss them forever.”
Qualified members of the team will compete at the WBAL Finals at Sacred Heart Preparatory on Saturday.