Just before Harker Day’s Homecoming volleyball game on Saturday, four more Harker alums were inducted into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame during a special ceremony held at the Athletic Center.
First to be introduced was Ethan Hu ’20, a standout swimmer who was a three-time state champion, six-time Central Coast Section champion and the first-ever state champion from Harker’s swim program. “I could immediately tell that he was special when I first saw him compete,” said athletic director Dan Molin. “It wasn’t even close. He dominated every single race. It was very fun to watch.”
Hu continued to post major achievements at Stanford University, reaching the top 10 all-time 100-yard butterfly competitors there and being named All-American twice as well as being selected for the Pac-12 honor roll three times.
After being presented with his award for being inducted, Hu shared his thoughts and words of gratitude with the audience. “To my friends and to my family, thank you,” he said. “None of this would have happened without you. To Harker, thank you for including me in the legacy of such a storied institution.”
Arthi Padmanabhan ’10, who captained the girls varsity tennis team to the CCS quarterfinals in 2009, was recognized by Molin for her “leadership, perseverance and a lifelong impact.” That 2009 run set the standard for a tennis program that has seen many landmark successes in subsequent years, including its first-ever CCS championship in 2021. She was also a doubles champion with Jenny Chen ’13 and won the singles title at the Santa Catalina Tennis Invitational.
“I am really grateful for Harker athletics for giving me the grace and space and guidance to learn the values that really ended up mattering in sports,” Padmanabhan said. “The friends, the collaborations, finding my balance as a student and an athlete and representing something bigger than myself.” She also expressed admiration and gratitude for her teachers: “Being in a community where your teachers come out and watch your sports game and encourage you in that realm, too, is just pretty cool community to be in.”
Upper school golf coach Ie-Chen Cheng stepped up to the podium to introduce Shrish Dwivedi ’15, who she noted impressed future PGA Tour pro Maverick McNealy ’13 enough to make him remark, “I’m not going to let a freshman beat me.” She continued, calling Dwivedi “the guy who pushed Maverick to greatness in high school.”
Cheng highlighted Dwivedi’s leadership qualities, particularly the advice he gave to teammate. “All his advice was always on point,” she said. “When Shrish talks, everyone listens.” Nevertheless, he did have his share of individual achievements, being among the top 10 ranked golfers in California (as well as 35th in the United States and top 100 in the world) in the 2015 recruiting class and the West Bay Athletic League Most Valuable Player in 2014.
In a pre-recorded message, Dwivedi, who was unable to attend the ceremony, mentioned his time as a golfer as important in helping him learn how to take on various challenges. “In my four years on the team, coach Ie consistently fought for us to have the opportunity to travel and play in tournaments, enforced a strong team culture and ensured that, no matter the skill level, everyone left practice just a little bit better,” he said. “Her example is something I still think back to and try to emulate to this day.” Dwivedi’s parents accepted his award on his behalf.
Longtime volleyball coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith took the podium to introduce the final inductee, Shreya Dixit ’15, noting how the volleyball star demonstrated “commitment to excellence, a dedication to her teammates, coaches and the program.” Adding a brief pause for emphasis, Smith then said, “And she was tall.” A starter for four years and captaining the squad for three years, Dixit was also named First Team All League in the WBAL Skyline Division four times and led her team to being the second in school history to reach the CCS finals and NorCal semifinals. She later competed at the division I level at Yale.
“What I remember most about Shreya was her unbridled love for the program and her teammates,” Smith said. “As she would tell us a few years after her career at Parker, it wasn’t really about winning. It was more about not wanting the season to end because she loved being with her teammates so much.”
True to that remembrance, Dixit began her remarks by saying, “Volleyball is a team sport, so any accomplishment of mine really is a mix of my teammates, my parents and my coaches.” She thanked her parents for their willingness to drive her to practices, “and most importantly, you absorbed all my emotional highs and lows along the way,” as well as her coaches, “who poured all their energy into this program…and created a space where we could build something really meaningful together.”
