Embracing Stanford | Grant Delgado

GoStanford.com |

STANFORD, Calif. – Early in his volleyball career, Grant Delgado dreamed of being an outside hitter. There was only one problem: He’s 5-foot-10.

“When it finally clicked I wasn’t going to be able to get a kill, I wanted to make sure no one else did,” said Delgado, a fifth-year senior from Rolling Hills Estates in southern California.

So Delgado became a libero, a position that involves diving for loose balls, setting up teammates and making sure everyone is positioned correctly. According to Stanford head coach John Kosty, he’s done that and more.

“He’s been an incredible role model, has an incredible work ethic, and has strived to be the best he can be every day,” Kosty said. “That’s as much as we can ask of anybody on our team and he’s done it for five years.”

A double-major in management science and engineering, and geo-physics, Delgado is a two-time MPSF All-Academic selection.

Delgado enters Friday night’s home match against UC Irvine with 486 career digs, eighth on the school’s career list in the rally-scoring era, registering 146 as a redshirt sophomore in 2013 and 281 as a redshirt junior last year. His body resembles a human bruise.

“It’s a lot of diving around,” he said. “Being as still as you can and embracing the impact. Getting digs in crucial situations can make or break a match.”

Delgado relishes his role. He recorded a career-high 19 digs against BYU last year in the NCAA semifinals.

“The libero position is bolstering the defense and being kind of a quarterback, trying to figure out where people should be and being an anchor,” said Delgado. “You have to be as perfect as you can be.”

According to Kosty, he has come pretty close. While he might be one of the smallest players on the court, he compensates with hand-eye coordination, quickness, food speed, heart, determination and intelligence.

“I think he’s a very good passer and also a very good defender,” Kosty said. “On top of that, he does a really good job of communicating with his teammates, understanding their abilities and making adjustments during the match. It’s nice to have that senior leadership on the court so you’re not coaching from the sidelines. You have somebody out there who is continually reminding them of what we need to do to win.”

A two-time league MVP at Palos Verdes High School, Delgado won a bronze medal in the Junior Olympic 17’s Open Division in 2009. His father Greg was a team captain and all-conference player for the Cardinal men’s soccer team, playing two years in the Major Indoor Soccer League, while his older brother Garrett also attended Stanford.

“I talked to USC, Harvard and Princeton,” said Delgado. “Once I came [to Stanford] for a visit my junior year, it immediately became my first choice.”

Delgado has fully embraced his Stanford experience.

“I wanted to pursue physics, but felt I didn’t know enough about the world and how the earth operates,” he said. “It really fascinated me to talk to the professors in the geo-physics department and was so cool to discuss the curriculum. I’ve absolutely loved every class.”

Which is just another reason why Kosty can’t say enough good things about him and unofficially anointed him a team captain.

“Guys like Grant are so key to your successes,” said Kosty. “They show that through their normal, day-to-day lives with the time management skills; the respect you need to show; putting the right priorities on top; making sure the team comes first; how to carry yourself; and showing the freshmen through his actions what is expected of them as a Stanford student and student-athlete.”

When Delgado first arrived on The Farm, he knew his life would change, but he never imagined how much.

“You come here so wide-eyed,” he said. “I was expecting it to be a phenomenal challenge and a place where I could expand myself and it has met that expectation.

“I think the biggest thing for me is I’ve really seen how special people are at Stanford. So much of my learning has been through the people of the Stanford community. You can meet a new person every day and get a new story and learn about yourself. That’s something I wasn’t expecting.”

Delgado still marvels about the things his fellow students accomplish with little or no fanfare.

“It’s funny,” said Delgado. “You kind of have to dig to learn about people. I hear so much about what people are doing through a secondary source. I think the word humble is a really good word to describe a Stanford student.”

Also inspiring.

“One of the questions for my college application involved intellectual mentality and what fascinates you,” he said. “I think every single person at Stanford is fascinated by something. Wherever you come from or who you are, if you have that drive, Stanford really sees that and really wants people who are going to follow their dreams and make things happen.

“There’s a kid in one of my geo-physics classes from Bermuda, and I asked him what he wants to do. He said he had two goals: to scuba dive under the Antarctic and live in a random country for a year. I fully expect to read about this kid in five years scuba diving under the Antarctic.”

Delgado’s favorite place on campus is Coupa Café next to Green Library.

“You can sit down and have a conversation and have the smartest people in the world bike by you and say hi,” said Delgado. “It’s a peaceful environment and you can really soak in what Stanford has to offer outside of the classroom.”

Kosty is grateful for being able to coach Delgado for five years and for all he has contributed to the program.

“He’s achieved so much in his career, from playing for a national championship, to all the things he’s done off the court academically,” he said. “He’s gotten as much out of it as anybody we’ve had.”