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.”