April 19, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Head Coach John Kosty is pleased to announce the recent signing of Madison Hayden of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Conrad Kaminski of New Berlin, Wis., to the Stanford men's volleyball program.
"These two young men are terrific examples of what we are looking for in recruits; talented athletes with wonderful potential who also have great character," Kosty said. "They earned the right to say they are Stanford volleyball players through their hard work in the classroom, in the gym, and also in life. We are excited to have them as part of our volleyball family."
Hayden and Kaminski will join a stellar 2012 recruiting class that includes Joe Ctvrtlik (Newport Beach, Calif.), James Shaw (Mountain View, Calif.), Alex Stephanus (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), and Gabriel Vega (Kailua, Hawaii). Many consider this the top group of recruits in the nation.
Hayden, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter that stars for Servite High School in Anaheim, was recently named to the All-Tournament team at the prestigious Best of the West Tournament in San Diego and MVP of the Dos Pueblos Invitational. As a junior he was selected to the All-Orange County third team and earned all-tournament honors at the 2011 Boys Junior National Championships with the HBC 17 team. Hayden is a multi-skilled player that excels in ball control, defense, and hitting. He possesses strong volleyball instincts and tremendous competitive character.
"Madison is a true volleyball player," Kosty said. "He possesses a good knowledge of the game and understands the complexities of our sport."
Kaminski is a 6-7 middle blocker who played a large roll in Marquette University High School of Milwaukee winning this year's Wisconsin state championship. As a senior, he earned second team all-state recognition as well as Greater Metro Conference first-team honors. Last summer, Kaminski earned a gold medal as part of the Badger Region team that won the 2011 USA High Performance Championship in the National Division. He is a player who has tremendous upside as he just recently grew to his current height while retaining the agility and athleticism of someone much smaller.
"Conrad has the physical traits and work ethic to be a solid middle blocker in our league," Kosty said.
With the addition of Hayden and Kaminski, Stanford has now strengthened an already exciting recruiting class. These athletes will provide the Cardinal with new talent needed to replace a graduating Stanford class that includes Brad Lawson, Erik Shoji, Gus Ellis, Evan Barry, Charley Henrikson, Dylan Kordic, and Jake Vandermeer. The incoming group is long on size and athleticism and gives the program a large amount of optimism for future years. More importantly, they will continue Stanford volleyball's long tradition of great character and excellence in athletics and academics.