Shreveport – The Centenary lacrosse program begins a new chapter in its program history this season as the Maroon and White have joined the Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference (HCLC) and that new chapter begins on Saturday, Feb. 5 as the Gents open their regular season at home versus Cornell College in a non-conference contest set for 2 p.m. at Mayo Field.
"We are excited for the upcoming season, and getting back on the field to compete in front of our fans," said Centenary head coach CJ Seling.
"We look to continue building on our successful 2021 year with a great freshman class. We add depth at the goalie, defense and attack positions. We look to have immediate contributions from our eight incoming freshmen and the five returning starters, which includes three all-conference players from the 2021 team."
The Gents' 2021 season was highlighted by a sweep of Dallas in a pair of games, the first a 7-4 victory at home on March 7 on Senior Day. That win was the first for Centenary since reestablishing as a varsity program. Centenary placed five players on the All-SCAC squad and had three players earn SCAC Player of the Week honors during the season.
Centenary, picked to finish sixth this season in the HCLC, finished the regular season with a flourish on April 24 as the Maroon and White scored a program record number of goals in an impressive 18-8 rout of Dallas on the road. Centenary also made its postseason debut as a program on April 30 as the Gents faced Southwestern in the semifinals of the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Sophomore midfielder Jordan Cook (Bryant, Ark.) headlines the returning starters after he was named the 2021 SCAC Co-Newcomer of the Year last season as a freshman. Cook had a fantastic rookie season as he scored a team-high 15 goals and added three assists (tied for third on team) for a total of 18 points (second on team). He ranked fifth in shots per game in the conference and took 72 total shots for the season with 37 shots on goal.
Junior M/A Kyle Comi (Allen, Texas) and sophomore D Matthew Lulich (New Orleans, La.) are also back after each earned spots on the All-SCAC second team last season. Comi had a superb sophomore season with a team-high 13 assists and added five goals and tied Cook for second on the Gents with 18 points. Comi had four games during the season with multiple assists including two games with three assists in each. He ranked seventh in the SCAC in assists per game. He made the all-conference squad as a Short Stick Specialist. Lulich made a major impact in his freshman season as he started all 12 of the Gents' games and tallied 21 ground balls and had 13 caused turnovers.
Junior D Ethan Little (Tyler, Texas) started all 12 of Centenary's games last season and was a stellar defender and also recorded an impressive 28 ground balls, which was the second-most on the team, and led the Gents with 16 caused turnovers. Little took two shots and won six face-off opportunities. Junior A John Mark Waniewski (Bossier City, La.) was one of the top offensive players in the conference as he scored 13 goals, tied for second on the team, and added three assists for a season total of 16 points (third on team). He played in and started 10 games and recorded six ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. He took 35 shots, 23 on goal, and finished with a 65.7 shot %.
Seling enters his third season as head coach of the Gents lacrosse program in 2022. He was named the interim head coach prior to the 2018-19 club season, and was then named the permanent head coach for Centenary's first varsity season in four years in 2019-20. Billy LeClair enters his third season with the Gents and was promoted to Associate Head Coach last summer. Former Gent Thomas Siskron has joined the staff as a volunteer assistant after completing his superb career last scoring. Siskron earned Second-Team All-SCAC honors this past season as he finished the season with an impressive 193 saves and 314 for his career. Siskron led the SCAC in saves and ranked second in the league in saves per game (16.08) and ranked 19th in the nation in division III in the category. His .447 save % also ranked 10th in the country.
The Gents are scheduled to play 12 regular-season contests, seven at home and five on the road. Centenary plays its first four games of the season at home and ends with a pair of home games versus Colorado College (April 10) and Dallas (April 13).
Centenary hits the road for the first time at the end of February to face Hanover College (Feb. 26) in Hanover, Ind. and Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Feb. 28) in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
The Gents face Huntingdon College (Feb. 13), Hendrix College (Feb. 15) and Southwestern on Feb. 20 following their season opener. Centenary faces Dallas on the road on March 9 then returns home to meet Edgewood College (March 16) and then is back on the road to close the month with games versus Anderson University in Anderson, Ind. on March 25 and Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. On March 27.
Centenary will be joined in the HCLC by Colorado College, the University of Dallas, and Southwestern. The Gents and their SCAC brethren will now compete in the HCLC in lacrosse along with Anderson University, Earlham College, Hanover College and Mount St. Joseph University which will make up the North Division. The four new members will comprise the South Division. The top two teams from each division following the regular season will meet at a neutral location for the HCLC Championship. The winner of the HCLC Championship will earn the automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament as the HCLC representative.
See the Gents' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mlax/2021-22/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.
Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
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