Season Preview: 2021-22 Men’s Swimming

MILLIGAN UNIVERSITY, Tenn. (September 30, 2021) – The Milligan University men's swim team is set to defend its first-ever Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) title and make a national impact in the 2021-22 season.

Coach Spencer Scarth Preseason Interview | Visual Preview

The Buffs began their season at the CSCAA College National Open Water Championship September 17th, placing 8th, and will now begin their regular meet season at the King Invitational October 1-2.

2020-21 Season Review: The Buffs captured their first-ever Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship last spring and had a slew of individual swimmers and relays qualify for the 2020-21 NAIA Championships, but the meet was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.

At the AAC Conference Championships, Milligan racked up a team record 818.5 points to claim the conference crown. Coach Spencer Scarth was named AAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career and then-freshman Stephen Gilbert was awarded AAC Swimmer of the Meet. The Buffs captured five individual AAC titles and five relay championships at AACs.

The Buffs were projected to place among the top six teams in the NAIA at the NAIA National Championships and finished the year ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA Coaches' Top 10 poll. The College Swimming and Diving Coaches of America (CSCAA) awarded the Buffs four individual All-American honors and five All-American certificates for Milligan's relays.

"Last year was a rollercoaster of ups and downs," said Scarth. "We went through quarantines, positive cases, and meet cancellations (notably, nationals very late in the season), and yet we continued to do things that this team has never accomplished. We had never won our conference before, and for our team to do that after everything they went through says a lot about the future this program has."

Academically, Milligan was named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team in both semesters and ranked third among NAIA teams awarded with a 3.43 GPA. Individually, the Buffs had 11 men's swimmers named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans, the second-most among NAIA institutions awarded by the CSCAA.

Team Captains: Connor Harrison and Dylan Powell

Key Returners: The Buffs bid farewell to just three seniors from last year's conference championship team. All four of Milligan's CSCAA All-American honorees are back for 2021-22.

Sophomore Stephen Gilbert turned in one of the most accomplished freshman seasons in program history last winter. Gilbert was named the AAC Swimmer of the Meet after he captured three individual titles and was a part of five championship relays at the 2020-21 AAC Conference Championships.

Gilbert collected CSCAA All-American nods in three individual events last year after ranking ranked second in the country in the 200 back (1:49.17) and 200 IM (1:49.63) and third overall in the 400 IM (3:58.98). Gilbert will factor in the 2021-22 AAC and NAIA leaderboards in the backstroke and individual medley events.

Junior Ben Hawkins reeled in CSCAA All-American laurels last year in the 500 freestyle. He took home the AAC title and ranked eighth in the nation with a 4:42.30 in the 500 free at the AAC Conference Championships. Hawkins also took third at the AAC Conference Championships with an NAIA provisional time in the 200 breast (2:10.10)

Seniors Aubin Dulin and Logan Garzonio return as CSCAA All-Americans alongside Gilbert and Hawkins in the 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.

Individually, Dulin won the 100 breast at the AAC Conference Championships with a provisional time of 57.89 and took third in the 200 IM (1:55.84) and 200 breast (2:07.89) with provisional marks.

Garzonio posted three provisional times at the AAC Conference Championships last winter in the 50 free (21.77), 100 free (47.93) and 200 free (1:47.33). He was the conference runner-up in the 100 back (54.52) and was third in the 50 free and fifth in the 200 free.

Graduate student Mitchell Martin made a pair of "A" finals and scored 38 points at the 2020-21 AAC Conference Championships. He hit an NAIA provisional time and finished fourth in the 1650 free time finals at 17:26.61. Martin also took seventh in the 200 fly and eighth in the 500 free.

Sophomore Riley Gregor logged 34 points for the Buffs after he appeared in two "A" finals and one "B" final at last year's AAC Conference Championships. He took fifth in the 100 fly (54.95), sixth in the 100 free (49.70) and 10th in the 50 free (23.03), setting personal bests in all three events.

Junior Noah Bengtson also made a pair of "A" finals and one "B" final en route to scoring 27 points at the AAC Conference Championships. He made the "A" finals in both backstroke events, taking sixth in the 200 back (2:11.13) and sixth in the 100 back (1:00.37). He added a 14th-place finish in the 500 free.

Senior and co-captain Connor Harrison chipped in with 25 points at the AAC Conference Championships with one "A" final and a pair of "B" finals. He set PRs across the board and took eighth in the 100 fly (56.15), ninth in the 100 free (50.14) and 12th in the 50 free (23.26).

Sophomore Cole O'Connor posted three top-10 finishes and collected 25 points for the Buffs at the AAC Conference Championships. He was eighth in the 200 back and 10th in the 100 back and 1650 timed finals.

Newcomers: Milligan men's swimming adds 10 newcomers to the mix for 2021-22.

Brazilian Andre Semensato makes his long-awaited debut for the Buffs after Covid restrictions prevented him from hitting the pool for Milligan in 2020-21. Semensato brings times in 4 different events that would have placed inside the top-eight on the national level, with each of those times surpassing current Milligan team records.

Graduate transfer Wiktor Perkowski hails from Poland and enjoyed a successful undergraduate career at fellow AAC member Union College. While with the Bulldogs, Perkowski secured NAIA All-American status in the 100 fly, 200 IM and multiple relays.

The Buffs welcome eight other accomplished American prep swimmers from five different states into the mix for 2021-22.

"This group of guys we've brought in has already had a tremendous impact on our practices thus far," said Scarth. "Our returners can tell that there's been an uptick in the volume and intensity to our practices, and it's helped the entire group get better, in and out of the pool."

Ethan McCosh looks to bolster the Buffs' distance, butterfly and backstroke and relay units. Nicholas Harviel (sprint freestyle), Cole Brusher (fly), AJ Stralow (breast), Antoinio Medina (IM) and Adam Karakurt (breast/IM) and others could work into contributing roles in 2021-22.

Cole Brusher (Panama City, FL, Panama City Swim Team)
Nicholas Harviel (Germantown, TN, Memphis Thunder Aquatic Club)
Adam Karakurt (Collierville, TN, Memphis Tiger Swim Club)
Ethan McCosh (Hickory, NC, Hickory Foundation/Catawaba Valley YMCA)
Antonio Medina (Estero, FL, Gulf Coast Swim Team)
Wiktor Perkowski (Warsaw, Poland, Union College)
Dalton Roszel (Hampton, TN, Lakewood Ranch Swim Association)
Andre Semensato (Guarulhos, Brazil, Corinthians)
Isaiah Silveira (Valdez, AK, Valdez Torpedoes Swim Team)
AJ Stralow (Rock Hill, SC, Mecklenberg Swim Association)

Looking at the Schedule: The 2021-22 AAC Championships are set for February 10-12 at the Kingsport Aquatic Center. The 2021-22 NAIA Swimming & Diving National Championships are slate for March 2-5 at the Columbus Aquatic Center in Georgia.

The Buffs' regular season begins October 1-2 at the King Invitational at the Kingsport Aquatic Center and concludes at Lees McRae on January 29.

Milligan has two regular season meets on tap for 2021-22. The Buffs host Mars Hill on October 30 and welcome King on January 14.

The Buffs' wrap up their fall schedule with the Fall Frenzy Invitational in Charlotte, November 19-21. The Buffs will square off against NCAA Division I and Division II schools, including perennial powerhouse Queens University, in a championship-style midseason event.

"This is by far the most challenging schedule Milligan has ever had," said Scarth. "We've already seen some extremely strong competition at Open Water's amongst the likes of Purdue, Kansas, Nebraska and others. That theme of strong competition will only continue through our season, as our goal is to be the most battle tested team when it comes time for championships."

Last Word: "Each year, this team has continued to break the barriers of what is possible," said Scarth. "Right now, our focus is still on one meet at a time, and we're really looking forward to a return to normalcy with the Kingsport Invite allowing spectators and more teams to join. I know our guys have a lot in mind with what they want to accomplish, but we can't control what's beyond the boundaries of Milligan. Keeping what's in front of us under control, 'staying in our own lane', and focusing on the task at hand each and every day is what will get us to where we want to be at the end of the season."