Ingo Schranz (2017) - Hall of Fame - Drury University Athletics

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Ingo Schranz

Class

1995
Induction

2017
Sport(s)

Men's Swimming/Diving

Ingo's Hall of Fame Video

His interests, according to his current employer, include “Ligand Syntheses Based on Four-Membered Heterocycles.” This is hardly the expected first comment about someone who is being inducted into a Sports Hall of Fame. But, in a way, it provides a hint into the kind of excellence that has accompanied Ingo Schranz throughout his athletic and professional career. However, that excellence did not come easily, in either areas of his excellence: athletics and academics.

Born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, Schranz’ goal as a young athlete was to compete in the Olympics. Being one of his nation’s top young divers, he put all his energy into this pursuit. His life’s dream, as he once said, “was to compete with the best divers from around the world.” Focused entirely on that goal, he dropped out of high school, only to have his promising career as a top national diver halted by a serious knee injury, a torn ACL. That injury changed the course of his life. His priority was now to get an education and, hopefully, use diving as a vehicle to accomplish that.

Mission accomplished. As he eventually regained health, and with a GED in hand, Ingo was accepted to Henderson State University, where he competed for the Red Wave diving team in 1990-91. He transferred to Drury in the fall of 1991. While at Henderson State, he was a two-time All-American.

It is worth noting that Ingo, being a diver, could annually compete in only two events at the NAIA National Swimming and Diving Championships. A total of four national meets and a total of eight events was the maximum for a college diver. Ingo was a perfect eight-for-eight, earning NAIA All-American honors every time he competed.

During his three-year Drury career, he was the nation’s top diver in both the one-meter and three-meter events, claiming first place in both (1992-93). His sophomore (1991-92) and senior (1993-94) seasons Schranz finished second in the nation in both events. His performances helped propel the Drury Swimming/Diving team to three NAIA team titles in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Now a member of the NCAA-II, those were the last three years the Drury athletic program competed at the NAIA level.
“Ingo was the first diver I ever had at Drury,” stated Panther head diving coach Richard Hackett. “He was extremely talented and very graceful. We were about the same age and as much as I may have helped him, he probably helped me as much or more. He taught me a lot about coaching and how to make athletes better. I am proud to have been Ingo’s coach while he was at Drury,” stated Hackett. “As proud as I am of him as a diver, I am even more proud of what he has done since his graduation. He has been been a good friend outside the pool and has done a great job in his life, earning his doctorate, becoming a college professor and raising a wonderful family,” Hackett concluded. It is worth noting that Coach Hackett has been named the men’s NCAA-II National Coach-of-the-Year four times (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003).

Schranz graduated from Drury on August 12, 1995, and his college athletic career came to an end. However, his academic career was hardly over and the Drury double major (Chemistry/German) decided to attend graduate school at the University of North Dakota. In 1998 he earned his master’s degree in chemistry and five years later his Ph.D. in organic chemistry. During his years at the University of North Dakota, Schranz served as a volunteer diving coach and once had eight divers qualify for the national championships in one year.

Shortly after earning his doctorate, Ingo accepted a teaching position in the chemistry department at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. A member of the HSU chemistry faculty today, he and his wife, Edyta, who he met at Drury, have three children. Ingo has stated his favorite movie is the classic: It’s A Wonderful Life. In many ways that title describes the success story that is Ingo Schranz. It has been wonderful what this world-class athlete, scholar, professor, husband and father has accomplished. Today one more jewel is being added to that list.

Today Ingo Schranz becomes only the fifth Panther diver to be inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. He joins Drury greats Mike Lewis (1996), Joe Kennedy (2004), Dean Lehmkuhler (2007), Nathan Brisley (2011) in being listed as a member of the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. Accompanied by his family, former teammates, coaches, friends and fans, Ingo Schranz is enshrined as a member of the Drury Sports Hall of Fame on this day: Saturday, December 2, 2017.

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