Senior sensation Nikhil Balaraman made his mark during his final season, posting 116 saves over 13 starts in goal for men’s water polo.

With an outstanding co-captain in Jay Connolly ’09 protecting the Harvard net, it was strange to have such another high-caliber goalie on the bench.

Nikhil Balaraman had the talent of a starter all along, but instead, he was backup to Connolly his junior year.

“It was sort of funny to have them both playing on the same team,” said Crimson co-captain Egen Atkinson. “To have Nikhil be a backup goalie as a junior was strange, because we knew he was an outstanding goalie, but Jay was just a little more experienced.”

Balaraman had been highly touted in high school, especially after being a part of four straight California Interscholastic Federation championship teams.

Once he came to Harvard, he showed early promise—making 52 saves his freshman year—and was named to the Association of College Water Polo Coaches 2006 Men’s All-American Academic Team.

In his sophomore year, Balaraman didn’t see any action after taking a necessary break from the sport due to personal reasons.

Balaraman’s absence ended when he came back last year, playing only in a handful of games but still showing some of the skill that brought him to the Crimson program.

He was especially influential in an ECAC Championship game against Iona where he made 10 saves, but could not prevent the team from falling, 12-10. Harvard ended the 2008 season with a dismal 5-12 record, faring only a little better against conference opponents (3-4).

Despite demonstrating he could still play, Balaraman was not going to overtake Connolly’s starting job.

The highly decorated senior had backed up his captaincy with an impressive 113 saves by the end of the Crimson’s season and was named to the All-Northern Division team twice in his career.

Those were quite some shoes to fill, but Balaraman was far from daunted.

Instead, Balaraman stepped up in the 2009 season and recorded 116 saves in 13 games, including an inspired 13-save performance against then-No. 11 Princeton at the Princeton Invitation in September and several 11-save games throughout the season.

“Nikhil went from being a backup to a senior starter and leader of the team,” junior co-captain Bret Voith said. “He took it very seriously, and you could see it in practice everyday and before games, during games, after games.”

Harvard improved to 3-3 in conference play and 7-17 overall.

Much of the team’s success was due to Balaraman’s first-rate play keeping a shaky Crimson defense in the game, like Connolly did the year before.

“Nikhil was especially valuable because he played up to big situations,” Atkinson said. “He was the better player in the biggest games and he had huge saves—like seemingly impossible saves. He was not only clutch, but he was also an inspiration at times.”

—Staff writer Brian A. Campos can be reached at bcampos@fas.harvard.edu.