Coaching Staff
HEAD COACH – Brian Reynolds
There is not a more nationally decorated or distinguished coach on the Drury athletic staff than men's and women's swimming and diving coach Brian Reynolds, who will be entering his 28th year with the men's program and 23rd year with the DU women when the Panthers kick off the 2010-11 campaign as defending NCAA-II national champions on both sides.
That's the unique territory you enter when, as Reynolds as done, you produce a national championship contender in your sport year in and year out, a program that expects to win every time its athletes hit the water. And, as they proved again last March in Canton, Ohio - where they became the first NCAA-II school in history to sweep the men's and women's titles in consecutive years - they usually do.
His Panther men's squad will be seeking its seventh straight NCAA Division II national championship and the DU women their third straight and fourth in five years next March in San Antonio, Texas.
Reynolds has earned several honors, which include being named as the NCAA-II national Coach-of-the-Year in the women’s division in 1996 and 1997 and was the men’s division Coach-of-the-Year in 1996, 1999 and 2003 as well as in 2005 and '06. He was also inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies held in February of 2007.
His illustrious record also includes eight NAIA national championships on the men's side - including a remarkable run of seven straight titles from 1987-94 - and three NAIA women's championships, those coming in consecutive years from 1986-89.
Preparation, practice, recruiting and discipline have been some of the key components that have been the foundation of the Panthers success, traits Reynolds learned early in his career as a successful swimmer at Drury and as an assistant coach before taking over the program from long-time Panther coach Jack Steck. A native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Brian was on two national championship teams in 1981 and 1982.
Reynolds also has been involved with the highly successful Springfield Aquatics Swim Club as its director for 27 years. The area's premier junior competitive swimming program, one of the oldest in the Midwest, consists of approximately 140 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.
SPA has had numerous junior national qualifiers, three junior national champions, a half-dozen senior national qualifiers and last year had its first Olympic Trials qualifier in former Glendale High School star and current Notre Dame 100 Back specialist Caroline Johnson.
"I enjoy coaching the kids as much as I do the collegiate athletes simpy because of their desire to learn and their enthusiasm toward the sport of swimming," Reynolds says. "I coach them every day, twice a day during the summer and have thoroughly enjoyed watching these kids develop into young athletes."
Reynolds and wife Amy have also been conducting the Springfield Prep lesson program for ages 4 to 13 for 28 years as well.
"We've had kids go from the lesson program's 'learn to swim' program to national and junior national qualifiers," Reynolds said. "That's been one of our most rewarding experiences."
Reynolds earned his master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas in 1986 and is an assistant professor in the Drury exercise and sport science department. He and Amy have four children: Brooke, Zach, Allie and Tanner.
ASSISTANT COACH – Bryan Beatty
Bryan was formerly the Drury Swim Team Assistant Coach for many years. He is now working in the Drury Athletic Office. Beatty has been very active in a variety of swimming programs both on the collegiate and the club side. He served as the head coach of the Lawrence Aquahawks club team of Lawrence, Kansas and the Aqua-Tex Swim Club age group coach in Houston, Texas. He came to Drury after serving as a graduate assistant at Southwest Missouri State University under former Drury head coach Jack Steck, where one of his duties was serving as the coach of the popular AquaBears club.Beatty earned his master’s degree in business administration from Southwest Missouri State University. He graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1990 and was a four-year letterman and co-captain for SMSU.
Bryan and his wife, Jennifer, have four children: Lauren, Sam, Jack and Ann.
ASSISTANT COACH – Jason Owen
Jason Owen is entering his third season as the top assistant coach for the vaunted Drury men's and women's swimming programs, having helped the Panther men to their sixth consecutive NCAA-II national championship last March and the DU women to their second straight national crown.
Owen is a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri and was a top national competitor throughout his four-year career at Drury from 1999-2003. He was a 15 time All-American and a one time national champion in the 1650 free his freshman year.
After completing his career for the Panthers and his current boss, head coach Brian Reynolds,, Owen served as a graduate assistant from 2003-05 and earned his masters in Business. He has been the head age group coach for Springfield Aquatics for the past six years.
Jason is married to former swimming standout and Drury Athletics Hall of Fame member Kathleen Hayes.
AGE GROUP COACH – Angie Kearby
Angela Kearbey began swimming in Nevada, MO at age 6. She has coached the Jasper County Killer Whales and was head coach for Nevada Neptunes for several years. She continued as head age group coach of JCKW till earlier this year, growing the program from 30 swimmers to near 100.
ASSISTANT AGE GROUP – Alex Carney