By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Webb City High School product Molly Brown helped Drury University win another women’s NCAA Division II swimming and diving championship.
Brown, a freshman, earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:03.10. She was 11th in the 100 backstroke (56.99) for an honorable mention.
She also swam the backstroke in the preliminaries of the 400 medley relay to help rest the Panthers’ No. 1 (senior Jing Hua). Later, Hua helped the Panthers set an NCAA Division II record in the event at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio.
The Drury women amassed 657 points to 531 for runner-up Wayne State of Detroit, Mich. It was Drury’s second straight crown and third in four years.
The Drury men — Brian Reynolds is the head men’s and women’s coach — won with 538 points to 403 for second-place Incarnate Word of San Antonio, Texas.
The sweep was historic, according to Drury sports information director Scott Puryear, as the Panthers became the first program to sweep both titles in back-to-back years.
The sixth title in a row for the Drury men gave them eight since moving to the NCAA Division II level in 1994-95. It was No. 7 for the women.
Said Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman of Brown’s performance: “Those were tremendous personal best swims in the backstroke events and moved her up from initial seeds in the 20s. I watched it on a live video feed. It was pretty awesome.”
Said Brown: “It was great to help the team and coaches reach our goal. It’s awesome to be part of such a team.”
Brown said the tradition by Drury was a major factor in her selecting the Springfield school.
“Things really have gone better than I expected,” she said. “I’m very happy with my freshman performance. I’ve dropped about 11/2 seconds in the 100 backstroke. I’ve dropped about 6 seconds in the 200.”
Brown, who still is unsure about a major, is just below a 4.0 in the classroom.
