After spending the past two seasons racing for the Razorbacks, Janelle Hummingbird of Rockwall, Texas has announced that she will be leaving Arkansas in favor of the University of North Texas. Hummingbird is a part of a large-scale exodus of athletes from Arkansas, with at least 14 members of the team having entered the transfer portal this year.
“I am super excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of North Texas! I am extremely grateful for my friends and family that helped me through the transfer process and supported me through thick and thin. I can’t wait to be back in Texas! Go Mean Green! 🦅💚”
While she has competed with the program over the past two years, Hummingbird has been limited in both of her seasons with the Razorbacks. During her freshman year, she only competed during the spring semester, while as a sophomore she swam just twice during the fall.
At the 2020 Missouri Invitational, where Hummingbird concluded her season last year, she competed in the B-final of the 100 and 200 back, and the C-final of the 200 IM. Her best finish came in the 200 back, where she took 12th in 2:00.73. On the women’s side, the meet featured three teams competing: Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky.
Best SCY Times
- 100 back – 56.78
- 200 back – 2:00.57
- 200 free – 1:52.82
- 500 free – 5:01.82
- 200 IM – 2:06.33
Hummingbird will be joining a North Texas team that’s coming off of a third-place finish at the 2021 Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships.
When she joins the team this fall, she will be making an immediate impact at the conference level, as her top times in her main events would have led North Texas at the 2021 Conference USA Championships. Last season, the program was led by Diana Kolb in both of the backstroke events, hitting 56.34 in the 100 and 2:03.24 in the 200 in a dual meet against Houston. Kolb was only a freshman last year, meaning she will be with North Texas throughout the remainder of Hummingbird’s career.
This is crazy. If the University of Arkansas does not take this serious they are enabling whatever the problem.
It’s been taken away from Arkansas and SafeSport is now investigating
Why are all these swimmers leaving Arkansas? I haven’t ever really seen so many swimmers in the transfer portal before.
There is an internal investigation going on there…the culture there last year was awful, hence u see the number of transfers.
Seems like this has been going on for a while. What is the internal investigation about?
Mental abuse