Drury swimming and diving completes 2026 recruiting class
Drury swimming and diving head coach Brian Reynolds announced the addition of 18 new Panthers as part of DU's 2026 recruiting class on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Drury is coming off top-five finishes in both the men's and women's competition at last spring's NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships, marking the 28th time both DU squads have finished among the top five programs at the national meet.
The Drury men earned national runner-up distinction after narrowly missing its 23rd team title, finishing just 13.5 points behind Tampa for the top spot in the team standings, while the DU women placed among the nation's top five squads for the 31st consecutive season, finishing fifth at the national meet in Evansville, Indiana.
In addition to their
five November signees, the Panthers will welcome 13 spring and summer newcomers to their 2026-27 roster this fall:
Drury fall signees:
- Seth Augustine; breast/IM; Kansas City, Missouri
- Elena Fuerst; back/IM; Engerwitzdorf, Austria
- Francesco Galluzzi; sprint free/fly; Bari, Italy
- Julia Haar; fly/free; Feldkirchen bei Graz, Austria
- Kostas Vaiciunas; free; Panevezys, Lithuania
Drury spring/summer signees
- Luiza Dias; free/back/IM; Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Sara El Tahawi; free; Algiers, Algeria
- Ben Forsythe; free; Sheridan, Wyoming
- Selima Hmaied; back/IM; La Marsa, Tunisia
- Kathleen Kielbus; breast/IM; Rockwall, Texas
- Fran Miodrag; breast/free; Zagreb, Croatia
- Missy Mizell; sprint free/back; Lebanon, Missouri
- Joshua Montone; breast/IM; Savannah, Georgia
- Kelsey Perdomo; fly/back/free; Springfield, Missouri
- Eric Ring; free; Slidell, Louisiana
- Paula Rodríguez Rendón; sprint free; Aguascalientes, Mexico
- Santiago Santodomingo; diving; Bogota, Colombia
- Vasil Tushev; free/back; Sandanski, Bulgaria
Drury will open the 2026-27 season with its annual Scarlet and Gray Intrasquad Meet on Sept. 26.
Drury's Ryno Riekert earns silver at World Athletics U20 Championships
EUGENE, OR – Incoming Drury track and field freshman Ryno Riekert made program history earlier this month, becoming the first Panther to compete and medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships. Representing South Africa, Riekert competed as the leadoff runner in both the men's 4x400-meter relay and mixed 4x400-meter relay. Riekert posted a 47.56-second split in the mixed relay and a 46.67 split in the men's relay. Riekert opened competition in the mixed 4x400-meter relay. The squad of Riekert, Davida Strong, Abelines Schoeman and Isabella Gunter advanced to the final and finished sixth with a time of 3:21.48. Team USA won gold in 3:15.31, while Czechia (3:18.16) and Australia (3:18.45) placed second and third, respectively. On the final day of competition, Riekert helped South Africa capture the silver medal in the men's 4x400-meter relay. Riekert, Kryn Romijn, Schoeman and Leendert Koekemoer finished second in the final with a time of 3:02.76. Team USA won the event in 3:01.39, led by 2024 Olympic gold medalist Quincy Wilson. Riekert also competed in the 200 and 400 meters and owns personal bests of 21.10 and 46.03, respectively. He will join the Panthers for the upcoming indoor track and field season this winter.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Drury swimming and diving announces recruits, Reikert wins silver
