Swimmers have a reputation for being a little crazy, which is well deserved. Jumping into a freezing pool at 5:00 a.m. and staring at a solid black line for hours sounds incredibly unpleasant. Although to anyone who swims, the early morning practices, long sets, burpees, dry skin, and goggle marks are a way of life. At Centenary, the swim team is a close-knit group of 17 swimmers. It is considered one of the “cults” at Centenary. Swimmers can easily be spotted on campus, as they are most likely at Caf and wearing a shirt that says, “Don’t be average” or “It’s time to finish” on the back. A little-known fact is that the swim team has one of the longest seasons of any sport. 

Despite only having seven meets (three at home and four away), practices start in September and don’t end until mid-February. The girls' team finished first in the meets against Austin College and McMurry University but fell to the College of the Ozarks, Hendrix College, Colorado College, and Southwestern University. Not having a diving team puts us at a disadvantage against other schools, as the scores are combined. Several members of the team earned recognition for their performances. Bri Serret and Tony Barbee received Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) swimmers of the week for their fast swims against Hendrix College on November 13th. Mitchell Lulich won the SCAC Character and Community Male Student-Athlete of the Week in December for his contributions to his community while maintaining his academics and sport.

To end the season, the team traveled to Garland, Texas for the 2022 SCAC Swimming and Diving Championship. This conference meet is four days of non-stop swimming. Twelve Centenary swimmers earned points in their individual events, and everyone took part in the relays to gain points. The women’s team finished 5th while the men’s team finished 7th. A couple of stand-out performances at conference include senior Bri Serret’s third-place finishes in both the 100 back and 200 back, freshman Maddie Vacula’s third-place finish in the 1650 free, and senior Mitchell Lulich’s school record in the 100 breaststroke. Bri Serret also won the SCAC Elite 19 award which is given to the student-athlete who has a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 GPA and who has earned All-SCAC First, Second or Third Team honors in their sport during that particular season. In fact, Bri is the first female Centenary College swimmer ever to receive this award. Furthermore, Margot Frost and Mitchell Lulich were selected as part of the SCAC All-Sportsmanship Swimming and Diving Team for this season. 

Those leaving the team next year include the six seniors: Bri Serret, Margot Frost, Madelyn Frederick, Tripp Montgomery, Lindsay Strohm, Mitchell Lulich, as well as our foreign exchange student from France, Jules Reny. To carry on the swim team will be current juniors, Jojo Goodman, Bryn Jenkins, Camryn Hebert, Katie Malicoat, Aiden Peterkin, current sophomores, Tony Barbee and Anacelia Galeano-Balam, and current freshmen Cash Coats, Nathaniel Batiste, and Maddie Vacula. They are coached by Butch Jordan who has been the coach since he founded the team in 2001.

Margot Frost

My name is Margot Frost, and I am a senior from Prairieville, Louisiana. I am a dual degree in French and Business with minors in Spanish and Accounting. I am on the swim and soccer teams at Centenary. My favorite color is yellow, and I wake up to my first alarm.

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