SHREVEPORT, La. – Saturday afternoon, January 12, marks the final home competition for Centenary Swimming and Diving as the Ladies and Gents will welcome Austin College for their annual Senior Day Meet.
While the Ladies have no seniors, four Gents will be taking part in their final home meet: Wesley Black, Harrison Folse, Zachary Norton, and Blake Smith.
Black has been a member of the Gents Swimming team for four seasons.
"Wes is the kind of workout swimmer a coach loves," said head coach Butch Jordan. "He comes to practice every day with a good attitude and ready to work. He is always willing to swim in any event or distance that the coaches need him to do every meet throughout his four years at Centenary."
In his time with the Gents, he has swum numerous events, especially the IM and butterfly. The past three seasons, the Texarkana, Texas native has added distance freestyle to his event repertoire. His favorite memory with swimming is when he swam a personal best in the 100 butterfly earlier this season.
Academically, Black is a mathematics major with a concentration in computational mathematics. Following graduation, he plans to join the Air Force and become an officer.
Folse also has been with the Gents the past four seasons and specializes in freestyle – especially the distance events.
"Harry came to Centenary and immediately made an impact on our campus," said coach Jordan. "He has held many leadership positions at Centenary and still managed to balance those demands with academics and swimming."
A biology and neuroscience major, Folse was named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Honor Roll each of his first three seasons. At Centenary, he received the Pacesetter Award and the Scholarship Leadership Award from the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. In the fall of 2018, he was also named Homecoming King.
Following graduation, he plans on attending medical school at LSU in New Orleans.
His favorite memory with Gents Swimming is staying up all night after the Conference Championships.
The third senior to be recognized Saturday will forever have his name etched in the Centenary Swimming and Diving record books. As a junior, Norton became the first student-athlete ever to dive for Centenary during the Division III era. He finished sixth in the 1-meter springboard event at the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
"Zach's senior year of swimming came crashing in on him back in November when he became injured, which has kept him out of the pool this season," said Jordan. "Zach's unique contribution for our swim team was being the first ever diver (and possibly last) to compete at our Conference Championships, where he placed sixth last year."
It does not come as a surprise that Norton's favorite memory with Centenary Swimming and Diving was last season at the SCAC Championships. "My favorite memory was finishing my last dive and knowing I just set the record for Centenary diving as I was the first Gents diver," said Norton.
He also earned All-Conference accolades his freshman season when he swam the anchor leg of the 800 freestyle relay team that finished third at the 2016 SCAC Championships.
A member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, he is a geology major at Centenary. After graduation, Norton hopes to work for an environmental consulting company.
The last swimmer to be recognized for the Gents on Saturday is Smith, who joined the team in the fall of 2017. Last year at the SCAC Championships, he swam the ninth-fastest time in program history in the 100 butterfly, touching the wall in 52.14. His favorite swimming memory is conference last year.
"Blake has been a consistent performer for our relays in the past and will certainly be missed next year," said Jordan. "He knows how to step up at the Championship meet, and I am looking forward to seeing him take care of business again in February."
A business finance major, after graduation, he plans on becoming a firefighter in Highland Park while working part time with Morgan Stanley.
Next Up
The Ladies and Gents Swimming team wraps up the 2018-19 season at the SCAC Championships. The Championships begin Wednesday, February 13, and last through Saturday, February 16 at the Palo Alto College Aquatic Center in San Antonio, Texas.