Winter 2024 Athletics Review — Centenary Magazine

Men's Basketball

The Gents had one of their finest seasons in program history as they won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history.

Centenary, led by seventh-year head Chris Dorsey, finished 17-12 overall and 9-7 in league play during the regular season. The Gents finished third in the conference behind Trinity University and the University of St. Thomas to earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament – one which the Maroon and White had the pleasure of hosting at the Gold Dome.

The Gents, hosting the SCAC Championship for the first time since 2016, were fueled by a frenzied crowd three days in a row as they defeated Schreiner University in the quarterfinals by a score of 76-75, St. Thomas in the semifinals (64-51), and defeated Colorado College in the title game by a score of 83-76. The quarterfinal win over Schreiner was Dorsey's 100th in his Centenary tenure as he is now 102-72 in his seven seasons at the helm.

Centenary fell 58-41 to nationally-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio on March 1 but held the high-scoring Prairie Wolves to their lowest number of points scored all season.

Centenary, as always under Dorsey's leadership, was an excellent defensive team as the Maroon and White held 15 of their 29 opponents to 70 points or less during the season and 10 to 65 points or less. The Gents have finished .500 or better in all seven seasons under Dorsey, have made three trips to the SCAC championship game along with four semifinal appearances, and finished the season winners of eight of their final 11 games. The Gents finished 11-3 on their home court this season counting the regular season and conference tournament and are now 22-5 in their last 27 home games and have won 46 of 53 overall.

The Gents, as a team, averaged 73.9 PPG, shot 41.6 % from the floor, 32.8 % from beyond the arc, 70.5 % from the FT line, and averaged 33.9 rebounds per game and 11.4 assists/game. Centenary was once again a well-rounded team, ranking nationally in multiple statistical categories on both sides of the ball:

Ranked 17th in Turnover Margin (4.6)
Ranked 23rd in Turnovers Forced Per Game (16.8) and forced 488 total this season.
Tied for 74th in 3-point baskets made per game (8.7) with 251 made this season.
Ranked 64th in Field-Goal Percentage Defense (40.8 %)
Ranked 78th in Steals Per Game (8.6)

Five Gents earned All-SCAC honors: Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas), sophomore G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas), junior G Craig Collier (North Little Rock, Arkansas), junior F Jakobi Greenleaf (Houston, Texas), and senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, Louisiana). Thomas earned First-Team honors while the other four Gents earned Honorable-Mention recognition. Senior G Chrys Jackson (North Las Vegas, Nevada) was named to the 2023-24 SCAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Team.

Senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) was named the SCAC Championship Tournament MVP after a career-best 33 points in the title game as he was a sizzling 12-14 from the field, and perfect from both the 3-point line (5-5) and the free throw line (4-4).

Men’s Swimming

The Gents finished seventh at the SCAC Championships in February in Garland, Texas, tallying 161 points to finish well ahead of eighth-place St. Thomas (32 points).

Centenary finished second in five meets during the regular season and in its January 10 home meet against Millsaps, the Gents earned an impressive 14 individual top-10 finishes.

Sophomore Jameson Feeney (Shreveport, Louisiana) and senior Aiden Peterkin (Zachary, Louisiana) were named to the 2023-24 Academic All-District® Men's Swimming & Diving Team by the College Sports Communicators. Feeney earned the honor for the first time in his career while Peterkin landed on the prestigious team for the second year in a row. Peterkin was also named to the SCAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Team.

A pair of rookies - Nick Gordon (Aurora, Colorado) and Ubaldo Ayala (Hallsville, Texas) had impressive debut seasons for the Gents. Gordon was named the SCAC Men's Swimmer of the Week on October 9 as he recorded five top-three individual finishes in the Gents' first two meets of the season. Ayala earned three top-10 finishes in his first weekend of action. Senior Antonio Barbee (Plaquemine, Louisiana), Feeney, and Peterkin all turned in solid seasons, each picking up individual wins, runner-up finishes, and several top-five and top-10 finishes.

Women’s Basketball

The Ladies, under the direction of head coach Paul Reed, finished their 2023-24 season with a 2-22 record and finished 1-15 in SCAC play. Centenary landed three players on the All-conference team - sophomore G Amiyah Barrow (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), sophomore G TaNyjah Plumber (Kinder, Louisiana), and sophomore F Kyra Stokes (Shreveport, Louisiana).

Centenary finished the season as one of the conference's top free-throw shooting teams (71.2 %) and ranked 90th nationally. The Ladies shot 70% or better from the FT line 16 times during the season and did so in their final six games and shot 75% or better nine times. Centenary was also a strong defensive club as the Maroon and White held nine opponents to 70 points or less.

Senior F Amelia Bagwell (West Monroe, Louisiana) was the Ladies' lone senior and finished her impressive five-year career by playing in 87 games with 44 starts and scored 413 points and grabbed 374 rebounds. Bagwell battled through injuries all season that caused her to miss nine games in the middle of the season, but she managed to play 16 games and made 11 starts as she averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.9 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 14 points at Southern Arkansas on November 18.

The Ladies won their first game of the season on November 25 as they defeated the Hendrix College Warriors by a score of 80-69 in the Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic in Jackson, Mississippi. Centenary's 80 points ended up being a season high and one of its best all-around offensive performances as the Maroon and White shot 41.3 % (26-63) from the floor for the game, 34.8 % (8-23) from beyond the arc, and 76.9 % (20-26) from the free throw line.

Centenary then snapped a 13-game losing streak on January 30 as the Ladies earned a gritty 61-59 overtime win over the University of St. Thomas Celts in a conference contest at home.

Women’s Swimming

The Ladies finished sixth at the SCAC Championships in February in Garland, Texas, tallying 247 points to edge Austin College by one point.

Junior Madeline Vacula (Belton, Texas) turned in another superb season for the Ladies as she teamed with a pair of impressive rookies - Reece Esser (Huntsville, Texas) and Hannah Waddell (Shreveport, Louisiana) as the trio recorded numerous individual wins, runner-up finishes, and top-five and top-10 finishes.

Esser made an immediate impact in her first collegiate meets as she recorded one individual victory, a pair of runner-up finishes, and two more top-five finishes and was appropriately named the SCAC Women's Swimmer of the Week.

Waddell capped off a stellar rookie season at the SCAC Championships by setting a new school record in the 200-yard breaststroke as she swam a time of 2:24.99. She also swam the second-fastest time in program history in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.51) and the eighth-fastest in the 200 IM (2:11.69). Waddell also recorded ten individual wins during the season. She was also named to the SCAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Team.

Senior Anacelia Galeano-Balam (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), sophomore Adriana de la Fuente (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), and Vacula were all named to the 2023-24 Academic All-District® Women's Swimming & Diving Team by the College Sports Communicators, as all three earned the prestigious honor for the first time in their careers.