Oberlin College Athletics

A four-year letterwinner in the pool, Dan Hinrichs was a multiple-time school record holder and a former NCAA All-American. 

After impressive freshman season that featured a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke at the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) meet and only one defeat in the event throughout the dual-meet season, Hinrichs broke through for even greater success as a sophomore with a second-place showing at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) meet before going on to earn earn All-American honors by placing ninth in the nation in the 200-yard breaststroke.

After setting the school record in the 100-yard breaststroke and breaking his own mark in the 200-yard event multiple times, Hinrichs narrowly missed All-America honors for the second time by just .09 seconds during his junior campaign. However, that year also featured a record-setting performance in the 200-yard IM, GLCA championships in the 200-yard breast and 200-yard IM in addition to setting the OAC record in the 200-yard breast. 

As a senior, he continued to be a dominant force for legendary hall of fame coach Dick Michaels, serving as team captain while leading the Yeomen to a 10-1 record, but unfortunately he just barely missed All-America status once again. 

After graduating from Oberlin in 1973 with a degree in chemistry and later a master's degree from Ball State University, he went on to teach at St. Louis Country Day School (Now MICDS) from 1977-1994 while coaching an elite high school swim program that featured six state championships and 80 high school All-Americans during his tenure. 

A two-time Missouri Coach of the Year (1986,1989), Hinrichs' swimmers at CDS/MICDS set 17 state records including two swimmers who qualified for senior nationals. Additionally, two of his swimmers included Oberlin alumni and former All-American Doug Walker '82, and Alex Wilson '86. In his last year at MICDS, Hinrichs received national recognition for coaching and his teaching.

Following his tenure at MICS, Hinrichs moved back to his home state of Colorado and made a career change selling luxury automobiles for 22 years. While his son Matt still resides in Dillion, Colorado, he now lives with his wife, Rev. Nancy Tuma, in Kansas City, teaching swimming and life-guarding at the Linwood YMCA.