The women’s swimming and diving program was established in 1988-89, though there was a one-woman wrecking crew a few years earlier in the person of Drury swimming legend and Hall of Famer, Shelly Langsford-Dickemann. However, as a program the women’s swimming and diving teams were started in 1988-89 and it took only a few years before Drury was the dominant force in the NAIA in the women’s division...winning team national titles in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
In 1994-95 the Drury program moved to the NCAA-II level and that same year a mid-distance freestyler and butterfly specialist from Mesa, Arizona started what would become her own hall-of-fame career. Christina Tompkins was not awed by the Panthers’ new national affiliation and she earned NCAA-II All-America honors her freshman season by taking fourth in both the 500 yard and 1,650 yard freestyle events. As a team that year the Panthers finished third at the NCAA-II national meet.
The next year, 1995-96, the Drury women’s team again finished third in the NCAA-II. However, the top of the mountain was in sight and Christina, along with her teammates, basically put the NCAA-II swimming world on alert for future years. In 1996 Christina set Drury school records in the 1,650 and 1,000-yard freestyle events, both grueling races. She also showed her versatility at the national meet by winning the 400 yard individual medley and finishing fourth in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 yard butterfly. She was also part of the NCAA-II national championship 800 free relay team.
In 1997, her junior season, Christina was an integral part of the Drury team assault on the NCAA-II women’s swimming/diving world. Drury claimed its first team NCAA-II National Championship in March of 1997 and that team title came in large part because of Christina’s three individual national titles and one relay title in the 800 free relay. That year she successfully defended her national title in the 400 IM and again added national championships in two of the most grueling races in the meet schedule: the 1,650 and the 1,000 yard freestyle events.
Christina was the Drury team MVP her senior year, given annually to the person who scores the most points at the national championships. In leading the women’s team to its second straight NCAA-II national title, Christina defended her national title in the 1,650 freestyle and won a third straight national title as part of the 800 free relay team. She also added a second place finish in the 500 free with a Drury record time of 4:59.04 as well as fourth place finishes in the 200 butterfly and the 400 IM.
Christina, a double major in Biology and Exercise and Sport Science, graduated from Drury in 1998 owning school records in the 1,000-yard freestyle, the 1,650 freestyle and was part of the 800 free record-setting relay team that included Melissa Redway and Drury Hall of Famer members Nida Zuhal and Viktoria Gadd.
In all, Christina was an 8-time NCAA-II national champion, winning back-to-back-to-back national titles in the 800 free relay and five individual titles, including back-to-back titles in the the 1,650-yard freestyle and back-to-back titles in the 400 IM. She was also a 15-time NCAA-II All American.
Christina currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona where she is a licensed massage therapist.
Christina is the tenth female swimmer to be inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. Today she joins nine others who have been so honored including teammates Kathleen Hayes-Owen and the aforementioned Nida Zuhal and Viktoria Gadd. The Drury women’s swimming/diving program continues to be a national power to this day and that tradition of success can be traced back to many talented swimmers and divers. However, none are more deserving than Christina Tompkins who is enshrined today into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2010 on this date:
December 4, 2010.
