Fifth-year senior Nikos Delagrammatikas hopes to lead Cal's men's water polo team to an NCAA championship.
Photo by: Catharyn Hayne/klcfotos
11/9/2021 10:35 AM | Men's Water Polo, Inside The Lair
Nikos Delagrammatikas Wants To Bring Cal A National Title
This feature originally appeared in the 2021 Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
It was 3 a.m. in Vouliagmeni, Greece, and Nikos Delagrammatikas was trying to be as quiet as possible. Awake in his bedroom while the rest of his family slept, Delagrammatikas watched the live stream as the Cal men's water polo team defeated USC to win the 2016 NCAA championship.
Delagrammatikas, who had already committed to Cal and would be arriving in Berkeley the following season, texted head coach Kirk Everist and former club teammate Odysseas Masmanidis to offer his congratulations, all the while visualizing having the same experience himself as a Golden Bear.
As Delagrammatikas now navigates through his fifth season at Cal, he is still in search of those feelings, that celebration he watched from the other side of the world.
And he's taking it personally.
"I came here after Cal won the championship, and the next year we had a great team but we didn't win it," Delagrammatikas said. "I was a freshman so you could say I didn't have much responsibility, but that's just how I felt. My sophomore year, we didn't go to NCAAs. At some point, you either start placing blame or take ownership. I want to take ownership. I want to help because this place is changing my life and will change my life."
Delagrammatikas is in his second season as team captain, a role he sought out because he sees it as his way of giving back to the program. He helped the team negotiate the stress of the uneven COVID-19 season and is universally respected by everyone who touches the team.
"Last season was obviously a tough time with a lot of uncertainty, and he took it upon himself to communicate really well with his teammates and kept them together," Everist said. "There was a lot of stress. I think he did a great job maintaining that connection with the team and the coaching staff."
The Bears got closer to the top last season, spending four weeks at No. 1 in the national polls and advancing to the NCAA semifinals before a narrow loss to USC. Delagrammatikas took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of COVID-19 and hopes to complete the mission this season.
"I like to inspire people and take them with me," Delagrammatikas said. "I've always admired people that have the ability to mobilize and bring a group together. During COVID, being a captain meant calling your teammates, checking on them individually, texting them – just making sure they know you are there for anything they need."
Delagrammatikas was named an ACWPC second-team All-American after last season and joins almost the entire roster in returning this season. His combination of talent and leadership is one of the main reasons the Bears feel like they have as good a chance as any to be the last team standing in December.
"He has high expectations for himself and his teammates, and what he wants to accomplish," Everist said. "There are a lot of things on his plate. He's a captain. It's his senior year. But he has a good perspective on not taking everything on himself. He has a good bunch of teammates that trusts him. He knows he doesn't have to be everything to everybody."
It was 3 a.m. in Vouliagmeni, Greece, and Nikos Delagrammatikas was trying to be as quiet as possible. Awake in his bedroom while the rest of his family slept, Delagrammatikas watched the live stream as the Cal men's water polo team defeated USC to win the 2016 NCAA championship.
Delagrammatikas, who had already committed to Cal and would be arriving in Berkeley the following season, texted head coach Kirk Everist and former club teammate Odysseas Masmanidis to offer his congratulations, all the while visualizing having the same experience himself as a Golden Bear.
As Delagrammatikas now navigates through his fifth season at Cal, he is still in search of those feelings, that celebration he watched from the other side of the world.
And he's taking it personally.
"I came here after Cal won the championship, and the next year we had a great team but we didn't win it," Delagrammatikas said. "I was a freshman so you could say I didn't have much responsibility, but that's just how I felt. My sophomore year, we didn't go to NCAAs. At some point, you either start placing blame or take ownership. I want to take ownership. I want to help because this place is changing my life and will change my life."
Delagrammatikas is in his second season as team captain, a role he sought out because he sees it as his way of giving back to the program. He helped the team negotiate the stress of the uneven COVID-19 season and is universally respected by everyone who touches the team.
"Last season was obviously a tough time with a lot of uncertainty, and he took it upon himself to communicate really well with his teammates and kept them together," Everist said. "There was a lot of stress. I think he did a great job maintaining that connection with the team and the coaching staff."
The Bears got closer to the top last season, spending four weeks at No. 1 in the national polls and advancing to the NCAA semifinals before a narrow loss to USC. Delagrammatikas took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of COVID-19 and hopes to complete the mission this season.
"I like to inspire people and take them with me," Delagrammatikas said. "I've always admired people that have the ability to mobilize and bring a group together. During COVID, being a captain meant calling your teammates, checking on them individually, texting them – just making sure they know you are there for anything they need."
Delagrammatikas was named an ACWPC second-team All-American after last season and joins almost the entire roster in returning this season. His combination of talent and leadership is one of the main reasons the Bears feel like they have as good a chance as any to be the last team standing in December.
"He has high expectations for himself and his teammates, and what he wants to accomplish," Everist said. "There are a lot of things on his plate. He's a captain. It's his senior year. But he has a good perspective on not taking everything on himself. He has a good bunch of teammates that trusts him. He knows he doesn't have to be everything to everybody."
Players Mentioned
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