Spring 2022 Athletics Review — Centenary Magazine

The 2022 SCAC Tournament Champion Centenary Gents

Softball

The Ladies finished 15-21 and 7-14 in SCAC play and made their sixth consecutive appearance in the SCAC Tournament. Four Ladies earned spots on the 2022 All-SCAC Team: sophomore RF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, LA) was named First-Team All-SCAC as an outfielder, earning a spot on the First Team for the second season in a row, senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, LA) was named Second-Team All-SCAC, and junior SS/LF Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, NV) and junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, TX ) were each named Honorable Mention All-SCAC.

Centenary, led by head coach Whitney Patterson, had one of its best offensive seasons in the Division III era (2012-present) as the Maroon and White topped five or better single-season marks for batting average, on-base percentage, RBI, and slugging percentage. The Ladies also stole 56 bases and were only caught four times all season. Cox stole 35 and became the program leader in stolen bases in a season and in a career in the Division III era in April and now has an impressive 56 in 62 career attempts.

Freshman Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, LA) was named SCAC Pitcher of the Week once during the season, Lewis was named the SCAC Hitter of the Week once, and both Cox and Lewis were named to the 2022 SCAC All-Tournament Team.

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

Sophomore Devante' Jack (Jena, LA) splashed onto the national scene this past season as he ran a conference-record time of 1:52.37 in the men’s 800 meters at the 2022 SCAC Championships in San Antonio. Jack became the first Centenary student-athlete ever to win an event at the SCAC Championships. His time of 1:52.37 was, at the time, the 15th-fastest time run all season in Division III and bested several Division I athletes as well. He missed out in his final attempt competing in the 800 meter run to qualify for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in May but overall had a stellar season as he recorded two individual wins, a runner-up finish, four top-10 finishes, and was named the SCAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week following his win at the conference meet. Centenary’s men and women recorded a combined 11 top-15 individual finishes as well as eight top-five finishes this season under first-year head coach Joseph Moses Jr. Freshman Madeline Vacula (Belton, TX), junior Sydney Bascomb (Mesquite, TX), senior Veronica Dougherty (McAllen, TX), and sophomore Coby Harris (Lafayette, LA) all turned in solid individual seasons for the Maroon and White.

Men’s Golf

The Gents finished seventh at the 2022 SCAC Championships in Blanco, Texas highlighted by a third-place individual finish from junior Richard Polan (Brno, Czech Republic) as he shot a 1-under par 215. Polan was one of just four golfers to finish at or under par for the event and earned First Team All-SCAC honors with his top-three finish. Polan recorded his first-career victory this past season at the 2022 Rhodes Spring Classic and now owns six-career top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. Polan, named SCAC Men's Golfer-of-the-Week after his win, was named to the CoSIDA Academic All‐District® At‐Large Team which recognizes the nation's top student‐athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. Sophomore Andrew Bennett (Bossier City, LA) recorded four top-20 finishes this season, while fellow sophomore Ricky Blair (Bossier City, LA) recorded five top-30 finishes.

Women’s Golf

The Ladies finished sixth at the 2022 SCAC Championships in Blanco, Texas. Freshman Kiley Smith (Fort Worth, TX) was the Ladies' top finisher, tying for 24th, while senior Abigail Hayes (Plano, TX) finished 27th as she concluded her impressive career with 12 top-25 individual finishes, doing so in nine of her final 11 tournaments. Smith finished in the top 20 in three of the final four tournaments this past season. Senior Lindsay Strohm (McKinney, TX) and sophomore Madison Wing (Shreveport, LA) joined Smith and Hayes as the Ladies produced the same lineup all season.

Baseball

The Diamond Gents won the 2022 SCAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship for just the second time in the Division III era. Centenary’s memorable season came to an end on May 21 in LaGrange, GA, when the Diamond Gents fell 14-9 to the Panthers after dropping a pair of games the day before to lose the “best of five” series 3-0. Centenary claimed the SCAC title on May 8 in Cleburne, Texas with a 10-5 victory over nationally-ranked Trinity.

Ten Diamond Gents earned All-SCAC honors this past season and seven were named to the 2022 SCAC Championship all-tournament team. Centenary finished 27-19 overall and 14-7 in SCAC play and its 27 wins are the third-most in a single season in the D3 era. The Diamond Gents’ 12-8 win over Trinity on May 7 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament was head coach Mike Diaz's 275th win the program. He won his 250th game on February 6 with a 6-2 home win over Willamette University. Centenary, one of the top offensive teams in the nation all season, recorded 10+ hits in a game 31 times and scored 10 or more runs 18 times. The Diamond Gents started the season 6-8 but went on a 21-9 run entering the NCAA Tournament.

Senior 1B/RHP Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, TX) finished his stellar career by reaching three individual milestones this season: 200 hits, 150 RBI, and 150 strikeouts on the mound. The versatile and dynamic Ludwick earned First Team All-SCAC honors at first base, earning first team all-conference honors for the third time in his decorated career. Ludwick, the leading hitter in the conference (.405), ranked in the top 10 in the conference in multiple statistical categories and was the team leader in batting average, hits, walks, doubles, RBI, and on-base percentage. He was also one of Centenary's top pitchers this season, going 5-4 with a team-leading 13 starts. He became just the fourth player in the Division III era in program history to record 200 or more hits in a career and also became the 46th SCAC baseball player to reach 200 hits in his career.

Freshman LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, TX) was sensational this past season as he was named both the SCAC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year and was also a First Team All-SCAC selection. He finished in the top 10 in the country in ERA (1.59) and went 7-1 with two complete games. Herrera, whose ERA was under 1.00 for most of the season, made 16 appearances and nine starts and in 73.2 innings pitched allowed just 13 earned runs and 61 hits with 25 walks and 59 strikeouts. Herrera was a two-time SCAC Pitcher of the Week recipient and was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Rookie of the Week on March 31. Herrera is the only Centenary player in the Division III era to win both the conference Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards in the same season. He tied former Centenary star Taylor Henry for the lowest ERA in a season by any Centenary pitcher in the D3 era.

Junior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, LA) was one of the top pitchers in the conference all season and earned First Team All-SCAC honors as the Relief Pitcher. Primeaux went 9-6 with a 4.09 ERA and had three saves and a pair of complete games. He led the team in wins, saves, innings pitched (83.2), strikeouts (81), and was tied for the lead in complete games. He made a team-high 22 appearances including eight starts and allowed just 73 hits and 46 runs (38 earned) with only 20 walks. He ranked in the top five in the SCAC in ERA, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Primeaux picked up the save in Centenary's 2-1 win over Texas Lutheran on May 6 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament and now has 13 career saves, just four shy of the D3 era career record.

Women’s Swimming

The Ladies finished fourth at the 2022 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in February and the event was highlighted by senior Brianna Serret (Alexandria, LA) being named the 2022 SCAC Women's Swimming & Diving Elite 19 award winner. Established prior to the 2018-19 academic year and meant to recognize the best of the best within each conference sponsored-sport in both academic and athletic achievement, the SCAC Elite 19 is awarded to the student-athlete who has completed the equivalent of at least 60 credit hours at his or her current institution and has at least a cumulative 3.25 GPA.

Freshman Madeline Vacula (Belton, TX) and Serret each earned all-conference honors as Vacula finished third in the 1650 Yard Freestyle, swimming a time of 17:56.27. Her time at the 1,000 split (10:51.54) was the fourth-fastest 1,000 time in school history. Serret earned all-conference honors with her third-place finish in the 200 Yard Backstroke (2:10.00), just ahead of Vacula who finished fourth with a time of 2:12.17. Vacula finished an impressive rookie season with seven individual wins and four runner-up finishes. Serret recorded 11 individual wins this past season and earned all-conference honors for the second season in a row. Serret and Vacula were each named SCAC Women's Swimmer of the Week during the season.

Men’s Swimming

The Gents finished seventh at the SCAC Championships, earning 173 points. Senior Mitchell Lulich (New Orleans, LA) had the Gents' top individual finish of the meet, finishing fifth in the finals of the 100 Yard Breaststroke with a school-record time of 57.81. He also he placed seventh in the championship final of the 200 Breast, swimming a time of 2:12.40. Lulich finished the season with seven individual victories.

Women’s Basketball

The Ladies finished 4-20 overall and 2-14 in conference play this past season, but their record was deceiving as they lost 13 games by 15 points or less with five single-digit losses, illustrating the toughness and determination by the Maroon and White all season.

Centenary finished its regular season on a high note by snapping a 12-game losing streak on Senior Day with a 61-53 victory over St. Thomas in the Gold Dome. The Ladies won their Senior Day game for the third straight season.

Centenary sophomore G Addy Tremie (Sulphur, LA) and junior G Destini Powell (Minden, LA) each earned a spot on the All-SCAC Team as Honorable-Mention selections. Tremie followed up a fantastic freshman season with a sensational sophomore campaign as she started all 24 of the Ladies' games and finished second on the team in both scoring (11.6/game) and rebounding (7.0/game) and ranked 11th in the conference in both scoring and rebounding. Tremie ranked sixth in the league in 3-point field goals made and 12th in 3-point field goal percentage. She ranked ninth in defensive rebounds and 14th in blocked shots.

She led the league in minutes played, averaging 37.1 MPG, and played all 40 minutes in a game seven times, including five times during conference play. She reached double figures 15 times this season, ten times in league play, and did so seven consecutive times to end the season. She posted three double-doubles during the season and topped 20 points four times.

Tremie scored a career-high 25 points on 9-15 shooting in 40 minutes of action versus Trinity on December 19 at home. She was 3-6 from beyond the arc, 4-4 from the free throw line and grabbed a team-high ten rebounds. Tremie hit at least three treys in a game seven times during the season and finished 32-35 (91.4 %) at the free throw line.

Powell had a superb season for the Ladies as she played in 21 games and made 15 starts. She ranked in the top ten in the conference in five different statistical categories and in the top 15 in one more despite missing the last four games of the season. She averaged a team-high 12.9 PPG and team-best 7.6 rebounds/game as she ranked fifth in the league in scoring and sixth in rebounding.

Powell ranked second in the league in defensive rebounds, 10th in both minutes played and 3-point FG/s made, and 14th in free throw percentage. She scored a career-high 33 points in an 89-82 win at Birmingham-Southern on December 4, the fourth-highest single game total in the conference all season. Powell reached double figures an impressive 14 times this past season and did so in 13 of her final 15 games. She topped 20 points four times and had three double-doubles.

Men’s Basketball

The Gents finished 13-13 (7-9 in conference play) and continued their impressive play at home as they went 9-3. Centenary has now finished .500 or better in all five seasons under head coach Chris Dorsey.

Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, LA), junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, TX), and junior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, LA) were named all-conference as Hall and Thomas earned spots on the Third Team and Johnson was an Honorable Mention selection. Three Gents averaged double figures this season, led by senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, LA) who finished at 11.4 PPG. Eight players averaged 6.4 PPG or better this past season, Taylor led the team in rebounding (5.3/game), and Thomas was next at 4.8. Hall and Thomas were each named SCAC Player of the Week during the season.

Centenary once again thrived on defense, ranking in the top five in the conference in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense, turnover margin, and assist to turnover ratio. The Gents were also a top five team in free throw percentage, blocked shots, and steals. Centenary was also an outstanding 3-point shooting team as the Maroon and White ranked in the top two in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goals made. The Gents finished eighth in the country in turnover margin and tenth in the country in turnovers forced. Centenary also ranked 27th in the nation in steals.

The Gents were not just a defensive team, though, as they won eight games by 21 or more points and four by 25 or more. In a 14-day span in January, Centenary won four games by 31 points or more. The Gents recorded a historic 105-69 win over Southwestern on January 12 in the Gold Dome when they hit a program (and Gold Dome) record 22 three point baskets, breaking the previous record of 20 three pointers in a game which happened on two prior occasions.

Centenary also scored 100 points for the first time since a 111-109 overtime home win over Johnson and Wales on December 1, 2017. Individual history was also made that night against Southwestern as Hall tied the single-game school record for three pointers by an individual as he drained nine treys in 14 attempts (64 %) and ended with a career-high 34 points. Hall's nine treys are also the most in a single game this past season by a SCAC player and his 34 points are the second-most points scored in a game by a SCAC player this season.

Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, TX) also made individual history this past season as he moved into the program's all-time top ten list for 3-point baskets made with 152. Mingo hit a trey in the second half of the Gents' regular-season finale at Texas Lutheran on February 19 to enter the top ten.

Gymnastics

The 2022 season was a bittersweet one as longtime head coach Jackie Fain announced her retirement after 11 seasons at the helm. Centenary recorded a 191.575 on Senior Night, the Ladies’ best score of the season, and then finished fifth in the 2022 Midwest Independent Conference Championships.

Five Ladies - Senior Kendall Sanders (Spring Branch, TX), junior Taylor Ann Wilson (Memphis, TN), junior Leilani Johnson (Wichita, KS), junior Kendall Huff (Riviera, TX), and freshman Emma Lavelle (Mandeville, LA) qualified for the USAG Collegiate Nationals hosted by Cornell University.

Sanders and Wilson were named First-Team All-Americans at the conclusion of the event. Sanders earned her honors in the All-Around, placing third with a 38.100, while Wilson earned hers on bars, finishing in a tie for fifth place with a 9.825. The All-American honors were the second set for both Sanders and Wilson after they were each named First-Team Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division III Regular Season All-Americans.