SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury Lady Panthers head coach Kaci Bailey announced the program's 2026 signing class on December 10. The class consists of five incoming freshmen.
 
Josie Salazar will move across Springfield from Kickapoo High School. Salazar was a Class 6 All-State honoree in her junior season while leading the Chiefs to a Class 6 third-place finish. The defensive guard averaged 11 points and 3 rebounds as a junior. Kickapoo and Salazar reached the state final in her sophomore season, where she scored 13 points in the championship loss to Incarnate Word. Salazar has helped lead the Chiefs to a 3-0 start to the 2025–26 season.
 
Mountain View, Arkansas' Emma Atkins will join the Lady Panthers as well. In her junior season, Atkins was a starting guard on an Arkansas Class 3A state semifinalist team. In that same season she earned All-State honors while averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. A multi-sport athlete, Atkins has been part of back-to-back state championships in track and field for Mountain View, recording a fifth-place finish in both the 400 meters and triple jump, along with a third-place finish in the high jump.
 
Samantha Becker will become a Lady Panther from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Washington High School product averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals per game in her junior season for the Warriors, earning Third Team All-State and First Team All-District honors. Becker was also named to the All-State Third Team as a sophomore. She helped lead Washington to a regional final appearance last season.
 
Harrisburg High School product Audrey Arnold will come to Drury as a three-level scoring guard. Her senior season marks her first at Harrisburg, where she has helped the Bulldogs start 4-0. Prior to Harrisburg, Arnold attended Fulton High School, where she was a First Team All-Conference and All-District selection. In her junior season, Arnold knocked down a school-record eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 32 points against Eldon.
 
Lucy Hafer will come to Drury as a dual-sport athlete, also joining the Drury volleyball program. Hafer arrives from West Plains High School, where she served as a strong defensive combo guard and helped lead the Zizzers to a district finals appearance in her junior season. She was an All-Conference honoree last year. On the volleyball court, Hafer is an All-State setter who recorded 854 assists and led West Plains to a quarterfinal appearance in her senior season.
 
The five newcomers will join the winningest NCAA Division II women's basketball program over the past 26 seasons. The Lady Panthers are currently 5-3 in the 2025–26 season and 3-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play.
 
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