Jing Hua, a native of Shanghai, is only the 16th women’s swimmer to be inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. For a program that, in its 30-year history, has produced countless All-Americans and national champions at both the NAIA or NCAA-II level, it is a most significant honor to be identified for induction into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. Jing had the career and was the kind of athlete who had an immediate impact on a program that was already one of the most respected in the nation. The moment she arrived on the Drury campus the women’s team surged and enjoyed multiple team titles.
Prior to her arrival the Drury women’s team had won four NCAA-II team titles, those coming in consecutive years: ‘97, ‘98, ‘99 and 2000. However, the Drury women finished second the next six years. But with Jing leading the way the 2006-07 Panthers claimed their fifth NCAA-II national team title, breaking that six-year drought. In her first season at Drury (2007) Jing was the Panther’s Most Valuable Swimmer. That year she claimed titles in the 100 Fly, 100 Free and 200 Fly. She was also a part of the winning 400 Free relay unit.
In her four years at Drury the women won the team national title three times: in 2007, 2009 and 2010. It may be more than a coincidence that the 2008 Panthers finished second, a year in which Jing was sidelined with a back injury. In 2009 Jing returned to competition and was again the NCAA-II national champion in the 100 Free. She was the NCAA-II national champion in the 100 Back and took third place in the 200 Free. Jing was also a critical part of three national championship relay teams, the 200, 400 and 800 Free Relay teams.
In 2010, her final season, the Drury swimming program added another historic chapter to its resume by becoming the first program in NCAA-II history to capture back-to-back men’s and women’s national titles. That took place in Canton, Ohio and Jing was an integral part of the 2010 team title. Panther head coach Brian Reynolds alluded to his standout’s contributions after the meet when he stated, “Our women really had strong leadership from a great senior group to show the younger swimmers how it’s done.”
In her final NCAA-II championship meet, Jing earned NCAA-II All-America honors in the 50 Free, 100 Free and the 200 Free. In the last event of her career, Jing helped “seal the deal” in terms of the team title as she was part of the national record setting 400 Medley Relay team. Along with Abbey Musch, Li Tao and Kelsey Ward, Jing and her teammates put forth a national record-breaking effort as the foursome finished with a time of 3:42.27. That mark eclipsed the record set the year before by a Drury team of Janelle Slattery, Xaio Juan You, Li Tao and Eunate Garro. The 2010 triumph was all the more impressive with the new NCAA-II regulations eliminating the fast body suits used in 2009.
Brian Reynolds’ thoughts about one of the best swimmers he has ever coached while at Drury: “Jing was a super talented young lady who could do it all. She could do backstroke, she could do butterfly, she could do sprint freestyle. She could cover so many bases for us. Jing ruptured a disc in her back and had to sit out her sophomore season. A lot of kids might lay down after that sort of injury, but Jing came back and worked harder than ever. She came back and basically had the meets of her life in 2009 and 2010.” Reynolds concluded, “It is extra special when athletes like Jing can go out on top and be their very best their senior year. And coming off that back injury was extremely significant and showed her grit, talent and her true character.”
Jing graduated from Drury on May 15, 2010 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with major in Management. Shortly after her graduation Jing helped open a chiropractor office in Kimberling City, Missouri and has been its office manager from that time to the present. Eight years have passed since Jing last competed for the Drury swim team and she is now well into her career path. But today Jing, along with the Drury Community and other special friends, pause to recognize her career as one of the most outstanding swimmers in the history of the Drury women’s swimming/diving program. On this day, Saturday, December 1, 2018, Jing Hua is forever enshrined as a member of the Drury Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 2018).
