Samishka Chitnis, a Berkeley High School junior, started swimming when she was six years old, and joined club swimming in fourth grade. Starting in her freshman year, she joined the swim team and excelled in the 100 and 50 yard butterfly stroke, along with the 200 medley relay. This year, on the girls varsity swim team, Chitnis hopes to make new personal bests in her times. “Swimming has challenged me both mentally and physically. Unlike most other sports, you’re often racing against yourself, constantly chasing new times. That ongoing push to improve has helped me grow in so many ways,” Chitnis said. In 2024, Chitnis broke the school record in the 200 medley relay. Her favorite thing about the swim team at BHS is the people. “I think practice is a lot more enjoyable when you’re around people you like … I have a lot of friends on swimming, so it’s nice to have an excuse to hang out with my friends and spend time with them while getting a workout in for the day,” Chitnis said.
Adalilly Chu, BHS senior and varsity badminton player, first discovered the sport in fifth grade. It wasn’t until her freshman year, under the guidance of the badminton coach, that she truly fell in love with the sport. “He (her coach) really tries to connect with everybody on the team, he really pushes me to be a better player,” Chu said. Initially starting as a singles player, she now predominantly plays doubles badminton. Having attended WACC championships every single year, she qualified for the North Coast Section (NCS) last year, something not all athletes can say they’ve done. Despite a tough loss at NCS, she remains committed to advance in this year’s competitions. Chu feels a strong connection to this team and hopes that they will continue to flourish and be a positive experience for many to come, just like it was for her. “I want to make sure that I build a good foundation for the team, because I really want more people to join in the future,” Chu said.
Steering and managing the rowers on her boat is Anais Mendoza Juachon, a BHS junior on the womens crew team, who has been leading as a coxswain since her freshman year. A coxswain is responsible for the steering of the ship, along with directing all the rowers on the boat. Since the coaches aren’t out on the water during races, the coxswain is responsible for acting as the coach in the boat. Following a break from crew in her sophomore year, Mendoza Juachon quickly dove right back into the sport in her junior year after realizing she missed the friendships it has given her. “My favorite part is the community, and it’s also just really therapeutic to be out on the water, it’s so beautiful,” Juachon said. This season, Juachon hopes to get a college recruitment for crew. “I really want to row in college, I feel like that would be a fun time and a good way to make friends,” Juachon said. Juachon plans to continue with crew her senior year. “I really like the crew team, (more people) should totally join,” Juachon said.
BHS senior Rosa Sueuga is a captain of the BHS girls softball team this year. She began playing when she was seven years old. Sueuga bounces back and forth between positions, but currently plays outfield. “I’m a very physically active person, and I like having an outlet that I’ve done for so long that it feels natural at this point, funneling my energy into something that is easy in certain ways, and also continues to challenge me,” Sueuga said. As captain for her final season with the squad, Sueuga is looking to close out her time on the team with a season full of mentorship and an overall joyful year to remember. “I’m at the end of my journey, so all I really care about is making sure that younger players know that they have someone that’s looking out for them as they continue to go through the program, because that made a big difference for me,” Sueuga said.
What started as just practicing flips with her brother on a trampoline quickly became a new passion when in seventh grade, inspired by her brother, BHS senior Scarlett Nykamp started diving. “I just kind of followed him, he’s always influenced me a lot, and I’ve always kind of done what he does,” Nykamp said. After her freshman year, she moved from Michigan to California, which increased the competition for diving. Despite this, Nykamp continued to push herself in her dives. The wild flips Nykamp performs in the air have taught her lessons she applies outside of the pool. “It’s helped me believe in myself that I can do things that are scary. I feel like I can handle things more than I used to because of diving,” Nykamp said. In the future, she plans to compete for Davidson College at the Division 1 level. Before saying goodbye to high school, Nykamp hopes to finish out her last year by once again qualifying for the state championship and also beating the BHS diving record for most points scored.