Harker alums Greg Cox ’11, Kailee Gifford ’17, Arman Gupta ’09 and Nikhil Panu ’13 were inducted into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame during Harker Day on Oct. 5, honoring them at the upper school’s Athletic Center for their athletic achievements as well as to their lasting contributions to Harker’s athletic programs. The ceremony was attended by families of the alums as well as their former teammates and coaches. Dan Molin, upper school athletic director, Karriem Stinson, lower and middle school assistant athletic director, and Butch Keller, former upper school division head, all spoke at the event to share their memories of this year’s inductees.
As a football player, Greg Cox ’11 was named First Team in the North Coast Section Bay Football League in 2010 and set Harker football records for most tackles in a game with 25 and most tackles in a season with 115. Recognizing his talents and contributions, his teammates voted for him to receive the Eagle Award in his senior year. His athletic acumen extended to baseball as well, playing four years for Harker and receiving another All-League recognition. Cox continued to pursue sports after graduating from Harker, playing baseball for four years at Swarthmore College, where he made the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team in his senior year. He later returned to Harker to serve as an assistant baseball coach from 2016 to 2019. He currently lives in Soquel, Calif., where he works as a software engineer.
A standout soccer player, Kailee Gifford ’17 earned First Team All-League honors in her ninth grade year and after her sophomore year had scored 32 goals across both seasons. She later turned her attention to football, playing as the Eagles’ starting kicker in her senior year as the first choice for extra points and kickoffs, as well as specializing in onside kicks. One of Gifford’s field goals scored Harker’s first-ever playoff points. She would go on to compete in soccer at UC Berkeley for four seasons at the D1 level, playing a total of 70 games, 50 of which she played as a starter. Accolades she earned at Cal included being named to the PAC12 Honor Roll in 2019 and 2020 and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic District 8 First Team. Gifford currently lives with her family in San Jose, where she is coaching youth soccer and writing a novel.
Arman Gupta ‘09 played varsity football at starting quarterback for four years, spending three of those years as varsity captain. His many accolades at Harker included two MVP awards in 2007 and 2008 and an Offensive MVP award in 2006. He was also named the First Team All-League quarterback in the NCS Bay League in 2008 and was the first-ever starter from Harker in the Charlie Wedemeyer Silicon Valley Youth Classic All-Star Game, playing safety. Gupta had the rare honor of being named Harker’s Athlete of the Year at both the middle and upper schools, being so named in as an eighth grader and a senior. Gupta graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 and currently lives in San Francisco, working in biotech investing.
Boosted by Nikhil Panu 13’s basketball talents, Harker became JV conference champions in his ninth grade year and were led to the three CIF CCS semifinal appearances. In his senior year, he was named First Team All-WBAL and was the 2012 Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship Winner. He also played varsity tennis for three years, acting as captain as a junior and senior. Panu went on to play basketball at Johns Hopkins University, who were the Centennial Conference Champions during the 2013-14 academic year. In the 2014-15 year, the team set a slew of new school records, with 25 wins, 16 conference wins, a 17-game win streak and the team’s highest-to-date national rank (10). He is the founder and CEO of Squadz, a sports marketplace and community platform.