Drury University Athletics

Brian Reynolds, one of the nation's most accomplished collegiate swimming coaches, will enter his 42nd year as the head coach at Drury for the Panthers men’s team and the 37th season leading the women’s program in 2024-25.
 
Reynolds has been at the helm for 33 national championships at Drury having led the men’s team won eight NAIA national titles, 12 NCAA-II crowns, three women’s NAIA national championships, and 10 NCAA-II women’s national titles.

Last year, Reynolds guided the Drury women's team to the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and a 3rd place finish at the NCAA-II national championships. He also led the DU men's team to a NCAA-II National Runner-Up finish for the fourth year in a row. Junior Mellie Wijk was the GLVC Women's Swimmer of the Year, Ivan Adamchuk was the GLVC Freshman of the Year in men's swimming, and Davi Mourao won the National Championship in the 100 Breast for the second straight season. 

In his 40^th season as Drury’s head coach, the DU men’s team won the GLVC Championship and finished as the NCAA-II Runner-Up for the third straight season, while the women’s squad finished third nationally. Drury won national championships in the men’s 200 Medley Relay, Davi Mourao with the 100 Breast, and Allie Waller won the 200 Back. Sophomore Claire Conover was also named the Women’s Swimmer of the Year in the GLVC in 2023.
 
In 2022, the Drury men’s team finished as the NCAA-II Runner-Up for the second year in a row, while the Panthers women’s team finished fourth nationally. The DU women’s squad also captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship as Allison Weber was named the GLVC Swimmer of the Year marking the sixth year in a row and Drury swimmer has taken home that award. Rafaela Raurich was named the league’s Freshman of the Year, and Reynolds was the conference Coach of the Year.
 
Both Drury's swim teams were the NCAA-II Runner-Up in 2021 and the men's squad won the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship. Karol Ostrowski was the GLVC Freshman of the Year in men's swimming and he later would represent his native Poland during the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Bec Cross was named the GLVC Women's Swimmer of the Year in 2021.
 
In 2020, the Drury women’s team won their fourth straight Great Lakes Valley Conference championship. The squad was also in second place at the NCAA-II national championship before the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before the meet closed, however, Bailee Nunn captured the 14th national championship of her career winning the 50 Free. The Panthers were in second place at nationals when it was halted going into the second night of competition. Following the GLVC meet, Reynolds was named the league’s Coach of the Year, and Erica Dahlgren was the conference’s Swimmer of the Year. 
 
Drury's 2019 women's team won their third straight GLVC championship, and finished as the NCAA-II Runner-Up for the third consecutive season. Reynolds was named the GLVC Women's Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year, Bailee Nunn earned GLVC Swimmer of the Year honors while Tori Sopp was the league's Freshman of the Year.
 
In 2018, Reynolds' women's swim squad won their second straight GLVC Championship and was the NCAA-II runner-up for the second year in a row. Bailee Nunn, a sophomore on the team, was named the NCAA-II Women's Swimmer of the Year after winning four national titles and helped DU relay teams to two runner-up finishes. Erica Dahlgren earned honors as the GLVC Swimmer of Year.
 
In 2017, he was named the CSCAA NCAA-II women’s swimming & diving Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
 
In addition to leading both Drury teams to a national runner-up finish in 2017, both the men’s and women’s teams won Great Lakes Valley Conference championships. That marked the fourth straight season for the Drury men’s team to have captured the GLVC title while the women’s squad won for the third time in four years.
 
Reynolds orchestrated a historic run of 10 consecutive men’s Division II national championships from 2005-2014. Only two other NCAA coaches in history have led their teams to more successive titles: Jim Steen, who coached Kenyon to 16 straight NCAA-III men's swimming & diving championships from 1980-95, and John McDonnell who led Arkansas to 12 consecutive Division I indoor track & field titles from 1984-95.
 
Reynolds was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He also has been involved with the highly successful Springfield Aquatics Swim Club as its director for more than 30 years. The area's premier junior competitive swimming program, one of the oldest in the Midwest, consists of approximately 150 swimmers from ages 8 through 18, dozens of which have gone on to swim collegiately for the Drury squads and other NCAA programs as well.
 
Originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Reynolds competed for Drury for two seasons and helped the Panthers to NAIA national championships in 1981 and 1982 under then head coach Jack Steck. Reynolds stayed at Drury as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach in the 1983-84 season.
 
In addition to his degree from Drury, Reynolds owns a Master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas.
 
He and his wife Amy have six children: Brooke, Zach, Allie, Tanner, Lily, and Kara.

COACH REYNOLDS YEAR-BY-YEAR