Sevi Harden has been a stellar part of TJ's softball program for the past four years. photo by Maggie Foos
Sevi Harden wins national player of the week.
Thomas Jefferson senior Sevi Harden won the National Player of the Week award for softball in late September. National Player of the Week is an award given to athletes who excel in a particular sport. The award is chosen through MaxPreps, a resource in which coaches and players are able to find rankings, statistic leaderboards, schedules, and scores of high school teams and players. In order to be selected for this award, a coach must enter game to game statistics through MaxPreps. Those statistics are then compiled into a list of top performers. Finally, the associations choose the player(s) of the week. The athlete then receives recognition and a letterman patch.
Harden has been playing softball for ten years, and Kyler Jackson has been her coach since the age of ten. Harden’s teammate and long- time friend Zoya Robbins wasn’t surprised to hear about her winning National Player of the Week. “We’ve always known that Sevi is an amazing player. People don’t understand it until she goes on field and starts playing. She definitely deserved it,” Robbins stated. “Sevi is a very humble person, but doesn’t let everybody know. She just lets her bat speak, she lets her defense speak. She’s a great person, friend, and teammate,” continued Robbins. Together they have found the true meaning of friendship, hard work, and teamwork. Outside of school Harden likes to engage in many activities such as snowboarding, shopping for shoes, hanging out with friends, and going golfing.
Not only does Harden play softball for school, but she also plays for Eclipse, a club team coached by Jackson. Together, the team competes around the state. Harden was first introduced to the sport by her mom at a young age, and ever since then it’s become a huge part of who she is. “Softball has taught me that teams sports are not just about competition, they are about creating a bond between a group of people with the same passion,” Harden explained. The win wasn’t just an individual award, it was about a whole team of strong women winning. Harden couldn’t have done it without her team, her sisters with whom she’s been playing with for six years, and her coach. Through him, she’s learned the meaning of compassion and what it means to be humble, but if you work hard and give 100% you will get 100% back. Harden went on to say, “Softball has given me a family that will be in my life for the rest of it.”
Everyone on the team has developed a strong relationship after traveling together across the state and winning the National Championship title. When Jackson discovered that Harden had won the award, he was excited, but not surprised. He teaches the girls that hard work does pay off. When asked about where she sees softball taking her in the near future, Harden replied, “I definitely want to coach softball one day, in order to give a group of girls the same opportunity that my coaches have given me throughout the years of softball.” Harden has been an asset to TJ’s softball team through her four years. She’s a remarkable student and a great team player.
Harden was thrilled to win this award and bring honor to her school and to her great team. Softball has brought her joy and many unforgettable memories throughout her years as a Spartan. She plans on continuing her softball career throughout college next year.
