SHREVEPORT, La. - Saturday afternoon, January 20, will mark the final home swimming competition for five Centenary swimmers. Representing the Ladies will be Caitlyn Faulhaber, while the Gents will honor Zach Harrison, Mason Kay, Anthony McDonald, and Roberto Roig-Perez.
This quintet features 22 relay and six individual Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference finishes, six appearances on the Scholar List from the SCAC, and two All-Sportsmanship Award winners.
"These five seniors are the core of our men's and women's team," said head coach Butch Jordan. "They have never wavered in their commitment to not only the swim program, but also as students of Centenary. They will all be hard to replace and certainly be missed."
Caitlyn Faulhaber is the lone Lady senior for Centenary swimming. Majoring in accounting, she was also a member of the Ladies triathlon team the past two seasons. In 2016-17, she made the Dean's List with the College while also receiving recognition from the SCAC on its annual Sportsmanship Teams list. She also appeared on the Scholar's List.
"Caitlyn is our senior team captain and has always been a leader in her actions both with her work ethic in the pool and in the classroom," said Coach Jordan. "When she first came to Centenary, we were not sure she had any competitive experience because she did not look very good. However, she worked very hard to be a constant scorer at our Conference Championships."
Athletically, Faulhaber won All-Conference honors as a member of the 200 medley relay team her sophomore season. Her favorite swimming memory was when Coach Jordan was giving the workout and Assistant Coach Kyle Joplin walked in and saved the sprint group.
Earning All-Conference honors by finishing runner-up in both the 100 and 200 freestyles by less than 0.3 seconds last season at the SCAC Championships, Harrison is wrapping up a regular season in which he twice has been named Conference Swimmer of the Week.
Also at the 2017 Conference Championships, his 46.51 split in the 400 freestyle relay was the 10th fastest time in school history in the 100, while his 200 time (1:41.94) was the fifth-fastest in Centenary swimming history.
Harrison has been a standard on Centenary relay teams all four seasons, helping the Gents capture eight relay All-Conference finishes his freshman-junior seasons.
"Being our men's team captain, we have depended on Zach for his leadership. He has not disappointed. His swimming abilities and his leadership will be hard to replace," said Coach Jordan.
Out of the pool, Harrison is a geology and business major and was named to the SCAC Scholars List after the 2014-15 season. His favorite swimming memory is helping the 800 freestyle relay team finish second at the 2017 SCAC Swimming Championships with the fourth-fastest time in school history.
Swimming in his final regular season meet, Kay received All-SCAC accolades after helping the 200 free relay team finish third at the 2016 Conference Championships. Pursuing a biology degree with a chemistry minor at Centenary, he made the SCAC Scholars list after both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
"After taking last year off from swimming, Mason is going to come around just in time for conference. I am looking forward to seeing what he does at SCACs," explained Coach Jordan.
A member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta, which honors excellence in biology, Kay is also a member of the Student Government Association and the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Centenary. He has also appeared on the Dean's List and Who's Who at Centenary College.
Anthony McDonald will finish his swimming career after putting his name prominently in the Gents swimming record books. He is top-10 in the record books in multiple events: The 100 (second, 58.48) and 200 breaststrokes (fourth, 2:09.76), the 200 IM (sixth, 1:56.01), and as a member of the 800 free relay (fourth, 6:57.93).
"Amac has been a cornerstone of our men's team since he has been at Centenary. He is always supportive of his teammates and will be missed," said Coach Jordan.
Besides his Centenary success, McDonald has been successful on the Conference level as well, finishing All-Conference in the 100 breaststroke in 2016 and 2017, while finishing in the top-3 in the 200 breaststroke in both 2015 and 2016. He has also helped six relay teams capture All-Conference recognition.
Majoring in political science and history with a minor in French, McDonald was named to the SCAC Scholars List following both his sophomore and junior seasons while also being named to the All-Sportsmanship Team after 2016-17. Besides swimming, he is involved with the Student Government Association (SGA), Kappa Sigma, Maroon Jackets, and the Honor Court at Centenary. In 2017, he was honored by the SGA with both the Pacesetter and Bullet awards.
McDonald's favorite memory is simply swimming in the 400-yard freestyle relay the past two seasons at the SCAC Championships with graduating seniors who were finishing their career with Gents swimming.
The final senior who will be recognized for all his accomplishments for Centenary swimming is Roig-Perez. At the 2017 Conference Championships, he helped the 200 and 400 medley relay teams finish in the top-3. At the 2016 SCAC Championships, he turned in the eighth fastest time in school history in the 200 butterfly (1:57.31).
A communication major, he is also a member of the choir at Centenary - receiving the Shannon Brown award. His favorite memory is his freshman season when he made the finals of the 200 butterfly at the Conference Championships.
"Roberto has been able to balance his responsibilities with the Centenary choir and to the Gents swim team. Both take a great deal of time and energy, and he has done an outstanding job in the classroom as well," explained Coach Jordan.
The five Centenary seniors will be honored in the final home meet of the season against Austin College, which begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 20.
