By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director
(SECOND OF A TWO-PART SERIES)
Centenary followed its accomplishment-filled fall and winter sports seasons highlighted in the SBJ last Wednesday with plenty of achievements in spring sports, making the 2023-24 athletic year one that will be tough to top.
BASEBALL: The Diamond Gents won the 2024 SCAC Championship last month in Cleburne, Texas by defeating Texas Lutheran 9-5 and made their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Centenary completed a memorable run through the loser’s bracket by winning three-straight elimination games over three days to win a second SCAC tournament title in three years after claiming the title in 2022.
Coach Mike Diaz moved into third-place all-time in conference history with 144 SCAC regular-season wins with a win on April 20 against Texas Lutheran, passing Jim Mallon of Southwestern.
Diaz, who just completed his 14th season at the helm, became the all-time winningest coach in program history last season with his 292nd win and is now 318-229-1, having passed former HC Ed McCann (1999-2010) for the all-time wins mark in school history. He won his 300th game on Feb. 13 against Rhodes College.
Nine Centenary players were named All-SCAC, seven made the All-Tournament Team, and two were named All-Region. Freshman first baseman Alex Miller was named the Freshman of the Year. Miller is the third consecutive Centenary player, and fifth all-time, to earn SCAC Freshman of the Year honors.
SOFTBALL: Senior right fielder Mackenzie Cox was named to the Division III All-Region team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association last month. Cox, named to the first team, was one of 376 student-athletes from 167 schools to make an all-region team nationally.
Cox posted another stellar season in which she was named first-team All-SCAC, earned a spot on the 2024 SCAC Championship All-Tournament Team, and was named SCAC Hitter of the Week once during the season. She is the first Centenary player to be named All-Region since Anna Dunn was named to the West Region first team in 2018.
MEN’S GOLF: Senior Andrew Bennett participated in the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships last month in Boulder City, Nev. after he claimed the individual title at the SCAC Championships in Whitney, Texas. He was one of six individuals selected to participate in the championships and was the first Centenary men’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA’s in the DIII era (2013-present). Bennett posted under par scores (71, 71 and 70) in each of his three rounds, becoming just the third player in conference championship history to do so, and his three-day total of 212 is tied for the third-lowest finishing score in conference history.
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD: Senior Xavier Venious was named All-SCAC following his runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the SCAC Championships in April. Venious’ time of 55.64 was second to only Trinity’s Justin Johnson (53.51). He also placed sixth in the 400-meter dash as he ran a time of 49.80 and put an exclamation point on a superb senior season which saw him record multiple top-five finishes.
GYMNASTICS: Freshman Olivia Williams was named a first-team All-American following her appearance in the finals at the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate National Championships in April. The sensational rookie finished 13th on floor with a 9.66 score. Williams put a cap on her outstanding rookie season after recording a career-high 9.75 on floor on April 12 to qualify for the event finals the next day.
CHEER: The Centenary Competitive Cheer team capped off an impressive season by being named Star Spirit Nationals Virtual Finale Champions for the College Game Day Division. Centenary competed in the Star Spirit Productions Nationals on May 13. The bid was awarded to the team’s game time routine that was performed in February in Baton Rouge.
Centenary earned three national runner-up finishes at the United Spirit Association Collegiate Championships in February in Anaheim, Calif. The Maroon and White, which earned two runner ups and an additional third-place finish on day one of the USA Collegiate Championships, competed in the college game day division where they were crowned national runner-up in the fight song and band chant division and brought home third place in the situational sideline division. The team posted season and program-high scores in each routine earning a 94.9/100 in fight song, 96.4/100 in situational sideline, and 96.8/100 in band chant.
Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu