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Water Polo Graduate Prepares for Next Steps with Business Minor

Water Polo Graduate Prepares for Next Steps with Business Minor

Through practical experience and invaluable connections, USC water polo team captain Carson Kranz has charted an entrepreneurial course at USC Marshall.

by: Alexander Bernard
06.25.25
Carson Kranz playing water polo

Carson Kranz ’25

[Photo courtesy of USC Athletics]

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The USC water polo teams are finding success in the classroom, as well as in the pool. In addition to reaching their 20th consecutive NCAA tournament and winning their third straight MPSF Tournament title, the team boasts seven Trojans on the 6-8 Sports MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete list, several of whom are students at the USC Marshall School of Business.

One of these student-athletes is Carson Kranz, a team captain and 2025 graduate who led his team to four NCAA championship appearances while earning MPSF academic honors three times. Through mentorship and guidance, Kranz and his teammates have contributed to the shift in academic culture around the water polo team, many of whom are now enrolled at USC Marshall.

“If you look at USC water polo 10 years ago, there were maybe two or three guys in the business school. Now it’s a majority,” Kranz said.

The USC alumnus sees similarities between the competitive environments of sports and business. According to Kranz, the school sets up athletes for post-athletic success, whether they know what they want to do or they’re still figuring it out.

“Marshall’s very competitive. It’s not a bad thing to have that on your resume,” Kranz said. “Marshall, specifically, is very attractive to the typical incoming freshman, especially in the athletic world.”

Kranz practices what he preaches. Whether in the pool or in the classroom, the water polo team captain brings the same dedication and competitive drive to everything he does.

“I’ve been balancing [academics and athletics] since high school — getting up at 5 a.m. to go to 6 a.m. practice and then sitting through six periods of class. That really prepared me for USC,” Kranz said. “I just embrace the challenge.”

Like many student-athletes, Kranz chose his entrepreneurship minor to open multiple professional avenues and complement his major in real estate development. It also enriched his education, offering a variety of course options and access to founders his own age.

“[The minor] allowed me to explore a lot of different classes in Marshall,” Kranz said. “I could have the opportunity to learn from a wide variety of entrepreneurs as well as peers who were in those classes. There were some people who had already started their own businesses and who had been succeeding.”

Constantly seeking to grow and learn, Kranz sought out a diverse array of connections and found them at USC Marshall.

“Any conversation you have, you can learn something from someone,” Kranz said. “I’ve had a lot of valuable conversations throughout the years with peers in the classroom.”

What’s so great about Marshall and USC in general is there’s such a wide variety of backgrounds and people you can meet. Any conversation you have, you can learn something from someone.

— Carson Kranz ’25

USC Water Polo Player

For Kranz, Albert Napoli’s BAEP 452: Feasibility Analysis proved a memorable course. Napoli, a senior lecturer in clinical entrepreneurship, brought his students out of their textbooks and into the boardroom, requiring them to develop a business idea, perform market research and analysis, and present their proposal to the class. Kranz appreciated Napoli’s hands-on style, emphasizing collaboration and discussion to create a dynamic learning environment.

“It was good to see and learn about a market that you’re not familiar with and figure out how to scale a business,” Kranz said. “It was a very hands-on class … [We were] always collaborating.”

Now a Trojan graduate, Kranz is deciding between real estate development and the continued pursuit of his playing career. He understands that the transition for student-athletes can be a difficult one. After all, it’s a title he’d had for most of his life.

“It’s really challenging mentally, more so because you’re trying to find your way and where you fit into this world,” Kranz said. “You can feel like the weight of the world is on you sometimes. But we are young and we have time. I take it day by day.”

Whatever path he takes, Kranz has built a strong foundation and network to support his future endeavors.

“I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to have come here and study under so many different brilliant people and professors and have the opportunity to play with such a prestigious program,” Kranz said. “USC has been a really good place to help me gain momentum for that next step.”

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