Aug. 22, 2001

Manhattan, Kan. - Justin Ingram was named an assistant women's volleyball coach at Kansas State on Wednesday in an announcement by head coach Suzie Fritz. Ingram will serve as the team's second assistant coach under the newly-appointed Fritz and will help in the development of all phases of the program.

A coach with nearly four years of college coaching experience, Ingram comes to K-State after serving the last nine months as the head coach of the Whitesands Volleyball Club in Sarasota, Fla.

"We're extremely excited about the addition of Justin to the staff," said Fritz. "He brings incredible energy and enthusiasm to the program, and we also like his past experience at the Division I level. We think he will be a valuable asset in helping us get to the next level."

Prior to his experience with the Whitesands Club, Ingram spent two years as an assistant coach to Bill Walton at the University of Houston, where he helped lead the Cougars to a 42-24 overall record and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and 1999. In his tenure at Houston, he assisted the head coach in high school and club recruiting, coordinated all team travel and home event management tasks and handled tape exchange and analysis, while also assisting with practice and match preparation. He also served as the assistant director of the Houston Cougar Volleyball Camps.

During his tenure at Houston, Ingram helped coach six all-conference selections, including 1999 Co-Conference USA Player of the Year Michelle Frazier. He helped the Cougars to a share of the 1999 Conference USA title with a 21-11 overall record and 13-3 league mark. The team, which finished the season with a No. 5 ranking in District 6, fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to host Texas, 15-9, 15-10, 15-10. In his first year, Houston posted a 21-13 overall record and finished as the runner-up in the National Division of Conference USA. The Cougars lost to Sacramento State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season with a No. 3 ranking in District 6.

In addition to his duties at the University of Houston, Ingram also spent a year as the head coach of the Texas Elite Club in Houston. He led the club team to a No. 23 ranking at the 1999 National Tournament. He has also seen 11 of his former players continue their careers at the NCAA Division I level.

Ingram was a player/coach for the club programs at both Iowa State and Cal Poly from 1993-98. He helped establish the Cyclones as the highest ranked student-coached team in the country three out of four years, while his Cal Poly teams claimed top honors in both 1997 and 1998. In this dual role, he helped coordinate each team practice with various drills and training, while also raising over $50,000 in funding for team expenses. While at Iowa State, he served as the President of the Men's Volleyball Club, which consisted of 50 players and four teams, and was a member of the Northwest Regional Volleyball Council. He was also a camp counselor for several ISU women's volleyball and Ohio Northern Volleyball Camps.

A native of Milwaukee, Wis., he earned his bachelor's degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State in 1995, while he received his master's in city and regional planning from Cal Poly SLO in 1998.

Ingram takes the slot vacated by the promotion of assistant Jason Watson, who became the lead assistant after Suzie Fritz was elevated from assistant coach to interim head coach on August 1. His duties begin immediately.