A euphoric Justice Beard runs across the pool deck at the Deaconess Aquatic Center Wednesday night after winning the women’s 1,000-yard freestyle race at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Evansville, Indiana. Beard became the first UMSL swimmer in history to win a national title. (Photo by Jared McFarlane)
University of Missouri–St. Louis Swimming Coach Tony Hernandez remembers Justice Beard starting to ponder what could be possible over the remainder of her college career after she first competed in the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships as a freshman in 2024.
“She got seventh in the mile, and she was like, ‘What if I win a national title?’” Hernandez said.
By that point, Hernandez was fairly confident she’d be in contention for at least one before her career ended. Three more top-eight national finishes – in the 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle races – her sophomore year only boosted the expectations that he had for Beard – and that she had for herself – coming into her junior season.
When Beard climbed onto the starting blocks Wednesday night with the No. 1 seed time in the women’s 1,000-yard freestyle race at this year’s NCAA Division II Championships at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Indiana, neither coach nor swimmer was taking anything for granted, but what transpired over the next 9 minutes, 45.7 seconds was validation of everything Hernandez had come to believe. He watched Beard lead wire-to-wire, pulling away over the last 500 yards of what had been a head-to-head duel with Nova Southeastern senior Hailey Williams, to win by nearly five seconds in the fifth-fastest time ever at the NCAA Division II meet.
“You could tell Justice could feel how fast she went out,” Hernandez said. “She almost went out in her best time in the 500 at that 500 split. She got out quick, as fast as she’s ever been. She definitely felt it. But by the end, she knew the emotions and what she’d finally accomplished was there, so she was able to close. It was a lot of fun. It was really, really special.”
Beard dropped 4.07 seconds off her seed time to break her own school record and became the first UMSL swimmer to win an NCAA title. She also joined men’s golfer Joel Sylven and the 1973 men’s soccer team as the only national champions in UMSL history.
Williams placed second in a time of 9:50.42, nearly two seconds over her own seed time. She had been able to stick close with Beard over the first 500 yards, losing ground when the two were swimming between the flags but then creeping back closer at the turns. At the race’s halfway mark, the two swimmers were separated by 0.29 seconds.
But there was no denying Beard over the final 500 yards. She’d stretched her lead out to about a full second after 600 yards, more than 2½ seconds through 900 and continued pulling away all the way to the finish. Her final split – 27.83 seconds – was topped only by her first, and she knew right when she touched the wall what she had done, pausing for a moment of reflection and then looking over toward her supporters and throwing her hand up in celebration.
Beard isn’t finished. She still has three more events over the next three days, racing in the 200-yard freestyle on Thursday, the 500-yard freestyle on Friday and the 1,650-yard freestyle when the meet concludes on Saturday. She is seeded first in the latter two events, having posted the fastest times in the country this season in both.
The 500-yard freestyle is expected to be battle with Grand Valley State senior Lucy Hedley. Beard might be a bigger favorite in the 1,650-yard race, considered her best event. She was runner-up in the race last year after that seventh-place finish as a freshman.
But she’s already proven what is possible.
“I think that takes a lot of pressure off her back, for sure, for the rest of the meet,” Hernandez said. “She’s not satisfied, but she’s definitely fulfilled and excited to add on more to it.”
