Men's Swimming Fourth Heading Into Final Day at SCAC Championships; Vasquez Continues Stellar Season
The Centenary men's swimming team enters the final day of competition at the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday in fourth place overall at the Bill Walker Natatorium.
San Antonio, Texas - The Centenary men's swimming team enters the final day of competition at the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday in fourth place overall at the Bill Walker Natatorium.
The Gents, who finished fifth at last season's event, have 238 total points after two days of competition. Trinity leads the way with 745 points, Southwestern is second with 579, and Colorado College (357) is third. McMurry University, University of the Ozarks, and Austin College are all behind Centenary.
Junior (Miguel Vasquez (Lafayette, La.) highlighted the day for the Gents as he won the 100 Yard Butterfly to continue his stellar season, swimming a career-best time of 50.89 as he became the first centenary male swimmer to win an individual title since 2014 when a pair of former Gents, Austin Butler and Juan Tapia, claimed wins in the 200 Free and 400 IM respectively. Vasquez earned all-conference honors for his performance on Friday after earning them as a freshman in 2019 in the 100-Yard Backstroke and as a part of three relay teams. Vasquez also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 back on Friday, as he swam a time of 51.03.
Junior Mitchell Lulich (New Orleans, La.) earned all-conference honors with his runner-up finish in the 100-Yard Breaststroke, as he swam a time of 58:31. Fellow junior Ricky LaFleur (Lafayette, La.) place sixth in the 100-Yard Breaststroke, finishing with a time of 59:56. LaFleur (1:59.60)and Lulich (2:00.41) also finished 10th and 11th respectively in the 200-Yard IM.
Centenary's team of Vasquez, LaFleur, Lulich, and senior Chris Reese (Alexandria, La.) placed third in the finals of the 400-Yard Medley Relay (3:33.13) and 200 Medley Relay (1:35.83), while the team of Vasquez, freshman Tony Barbee (Plaquemine, La.), LaFleur, and Lulich placed fourth in the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay, swimming a time of 1:28.61. The combo of Lulich, Reese, LaFleur, and Vasquez swam the 800 Yard Free Relay in a time of 7:14.21 to place fourth.
Reese finished 14th in the 400 Yard IM, swimming a time of 4:44.07, and junior Daniel Lewis (Alexandria, La.) and Barbee each placed in the top 16 in the 100 Fly, as Lewis swam a time of 55.87 to finish 16th and Barbee 18th in a time of 57.08. Freshman Kenan Cooper (St. Francisville, La.) finished 17th in the 100 Breast, swimming a time of 1:06.16. Lewis also placed 15th in the 100 back (59.25).
The team standings after the first 13 events are as follows:
1) Trinity University - 745
2) Southwestern University - 579
3) Colorado College - 357
4) Centenary College - 238
5) McMurry University - 207
6) University of the Ozarks - 140
7) Austin College - 121
The men will complete their portion of the championship tomorrow with timed finals beginning at 2:30 pm CT. Click here for the complete schedule of events.
