Student-Athlete of the Week-Connor Grant

As a varsity defender for Niwot soccer, Connor Grant is usually more concerned with keeping the ball out of the net than putting it in at the other end. But so far in 2021, the senior has been doing both, first in a 10-0 rout of Berthoud on March 23, when he scored a pair of goals, and then against Riverdale Ridge on March 25, when he had a goal and an assist. That brings his season scoring total to seven points, and puts him among the team's offensive leaders, a position Grant admits is "a bit strange."

"I've been on varsity for three years, and it's taken me all three years to finally put the ball in the net," he said shortly after scoring his third career goal in Niwot's 10-1 win over the Ravens. "But I'm glad I can do it for the team."

For Cougar head coach Stephen Dimit, Grant's newfound talent for scoring is just icing on the cake of what expects to be a "dominant" senior season for the defensive star, who is also one of the team captains.

"Connor Grant has really stepped up for us," Dimit said of his performance so far in 2021. "He is so prepared for this season. He's been working to put on a ton of muscle, and get a whole lot stronger, and get a whole lot faster. And he's stepped up as a leader for us. It's great he's getting some goals because that's not really been his role. He's been the glue, and now he gets to shine a little bit, and it's good to see him coming along."

Fortunately, Grant has no plans to abandon his long held position on the Cougars' back line, a spot he has held for three years. Indeed, Connor Grant is the third Grant brother to guard the backfield for Niwot, so he has a family tradition to uphold.

"Soccer is definitely a big part of our lives," he said of brothers Caden ('16) and Nicholas ('18). "My brothers are closer together, and when they settled on soccer, as the youngest, I followed suit. So I've been playing since I can just about walk. Then we've all kind of grown up in the sport, and then were able to play for Niwot, which is really cool."

Grant is enjoying his senior season, even if it isn't turning out quite the way he once envisioned. It was also a long time coming, after the pandemic and distance learning stretched the off-season to 16 lonely months.

"It was very challenging, mostly because of how uncertain everything was," Grant said of the prolonged layoff. "I think we all were ready for that first game when we came back, and it was definitely good to get a strong win on that day."

To keep his mind off soccer, Grant found plenty to do during the off-season, most notably joining the mock trial team, where he found himself in another new role for the case of Colorado vs. Avery Becker.

"I played an expert witness on the defense side, portrayed as an expert in police practices, so I talked about the scientific side of the case and was direct-examined and cross-examined like you would in a normal court," he explained.

Niwot's mock trial team, coached by Grant's mother, took first place in the 2021 Boulder County regional tournament and went on to compete in the Colorado state tournament.

"It's a different side of her that I get to see," Grant said of working with his mom, Erika Grant. "The side that is driven and passionate and teaching these kids... I think it's really valuable to learn more about my mom that way."

Grant also spent the soccer downtime working on the Healthy Lifestyle Club he created for his Creativity, Activity and Service project, a requirement for the International Baccalaureate diploma he is on track to receive in May. Though it was supposed to meet in person, that wasn't possible due to the pandemic, so Grant moved the operation online.

"It's focused on spreading awareness for living a healthy lifestyle," he said. "We were having weekly meetings and then the pandemic hit last March. So I built a website for that kind and started some virtual meetings as well to help share ideas."

Indeed, for Grant, the computing part of his club is probably as important as the health tips. He counts his computer science classes as his favorites at Niwot, and has been involved in robotics and the CAD club.

"I like computer science a lot because you have the freedom to create your own things within the prescribed project," he said. "Right now I'm taking computer science principles, and for my create project, I decided to create that old retro game where you're picking up the apples. So I'm coding that for my project, and it's definitely really interesting."

After graduation, Grant plans to study engineering, and is deciding between offers from Purdue, where he will join the integrated business and engineering program. Or Georgia Tech, where he has an enticing opportunity to study abroad in Metz, France during his freshman year. He also applied to Colorado School of Mines, CU-Boulder, Gonzaga, Northeastern, and Stanford.