Gymnastics Releases 2022 Schedule
The Centenary gymnastics program has released its 2022 schedule, highlighted by a season-opening meet at nationally-ranked LSU and three home meets.
Shreveport – The Centenary gymnastics program has released its 2022 schedule, highlighted by a season-opening meet at nationally-ranked LSU and three home meets.
The Ladies will open their season on Friday, Jan. 7 at No. 5 LSU in a dual meet set for 5:45 p.m. and will be televised live on the SEC Network from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Centenary then travels to Cape Girardeau, Mo. on Jan. 14 to face Midwest Independent Conference foe SEMO in a dual meet set for 6:30 p.m.
Centenary will make its home debut on Sunday, Jan. 23 versus Air Force in a dual meet set for 1 p.m. in the Gold Dome. The Ladies then hit the road again to face MIC member Texas Woman's University (TWU) in Denton, Texas on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. The Ladies will spend the entire month of February on the road, beginning with a pair of meets at Alaska-Anchorage on Feb. 11 and 13.
The Ladies will face host University of New Hampshire and Long Island University in a tri-meet on Feb. 25 and then complete the weekend against Springfield College, Rhode Island College, and Southern Connecticut State in a quad meet on Feb. 27 in Springfield, Mass.
Centenary returns home in March for its final two home meets of the season, on March 4 versus SEMO and then March 12 against TWU. The March 4 meet is the annual "Sylvia Keiter Memorial Meet" and March 12 will be Senior Night and the final home meet for Ladies' head coach Jackie Fain who will retire at the end of the season.
The MIC Championships are scheduled for March 18 in Denton, Texas and hosted by TWU, the NCAA Regionals are set for April 1, and the USAG Championships are scheduled for April 8 in Ithaca, N.Y. and hosted by Cornell University.
"We are excited about our schedule this year," said Fain. Once again, we will be meeting teams from all divisions and we start this weekend with LSU, who is ranked in the top five in the country. "We will also face the defending USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Champions, conference rivals, several DI teams, and a DIII team. Competing with this variety of teams gives us some great experience to build off throughout the year."
Centenary announced in November that Brittany Harris will take over for Fain as head coach beginning next season. Harris comes to Centenary from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where she spent the last three seasons as the first assistant coach. Lindenwood, a Division II school, is a member of the MIC with Centenary. Harris is only the fourth female African-American head coach in NCAA gymnastics, and believed to be the first in DIII. She is the daughter of former NBA basketball player, Steve Harris, and Harriet Harris.
In 2019 Harris helped lead the Lindenwood Lions to a record-breaking season as they were only the third Division II team in history to qualify for the NCAA post-season, competing in Round 1 of the NCAA tournament at LSU. The Lions finished their historic year taking home both the MIC championship and the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships. Lindenwood also walked away with the 2021 MIC championship. Harris was named the Women's Collegiate Coaches Association (WCGA) Division II Regional assistant coach of the year in both 2019 and 2021, along with several other coaching accolades.
Fain, entering her 11th and final season at Centenary,was named the Regional Coach of the Year by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association in 2020, earning the honor following a vote by her fellow head coaches. The award is the second major honor Fain has garnered in her tenure with the Ladies as she was named the 2013 Midwest Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year.
Fain came to Centenary prior to the 2011-12 season and wasted no time in putting her stamp on the program as the team's regional qualifying score of 191.355 was its highest in four seasons. The Ladies also qualified for the USA Gymnastics (USAG) nationals as a team, garnering four All-American gymnasts. She led the Ladies to their highest team score (193.975 in 2013) since the 2005 season.
In Fain's superb decade at Centenary, she has mentored 16 different student-athletes to 39 All-American accolades by the USGA and the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA). 18 all-conference recognitions, and two USAG National Meet team appearances in her time at Centenary. Fain also mentored assistant Morgan Leachman for the 2016-2018 season. Following the USAG Championships in April 2018, Leachman was named the USAG Assistant Coach of the Year.
Centenary returns four All-Americans this year; seniors Kendall Sanders (Spring Branch, Texas) and Xian Baumgartner (Albuquerque, N.M.) and juniors Taylor Ann Wilson (Memphis, Tenn.) and Kendall Huff (Riviera, Texas), seven other upperclassmen, and four freshmen.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/gymnastics/2021-22/schedule
Live stats and live video are available for all home meets.
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.
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