Courtesy: Milligan Athletics
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (July 27, 2022) – Milligan University swim coach Spencer Scarth announced the addition of 11 incoming freshmen who join Milligan’s nationally-ranked men’s swimming team for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
The group seeks to help improve upon Milligan’s fifth-place national finish and second consecutive Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship, and replace the recently graduated school record holders Wiktor Perkowski and Aubin Dulin, along with graduates Ed Lee, Elijah Manship, Dylan Powell, Zach Duncan, and Logan Garzonio.
“This truly is an unbelievably talented class,” said Scarth. “As we continue to build this program, this group will continue to elevate us at the national level, with many members of this group already achieving NAIA “B” standards. In addition, this is the highest average GPA we’ve ever brought in at 3.67, and we look to continue our growing legacy of academic excellence here. We’re blessed to have so many good fits for our school and our program, and we look forward to having them on campus soon!”
Below is the full list of Scarth’s class for the upcoming swim season.
Jack Allen | Kingsport Piranha’s | Kingsport, TN
“Jack is an excellent local addition and will be joining his sister Gracie here at Milligan,” said Scarth. “He has been on a tear the last two years, dropping over 5 seconds in his 100 breaststroke and 19 seconds in his 200, so we think the sky is the limit for his potential, especially given how strong our breaststroke/IM group is.”
Top Events: 100 Breast (59.00) 200 Breast (2:09.15) 200 IM (2:02.93)
Why Milligan: “Milligan was my number one choice from the start and I look forward to swimming at Milligan!”
Jayden Bearden | Carpet Capital Aquatic Club | Dalton, GA
“Jayden was very late in the recruiting process, but we are very grateful for him to be coming to Milligan,” said Scarth. “He has a tremendous amount of potential as he has much more limited experience than most of his peers, but already his times have scoring potential at nationals. We’re excited to see what more he can do here.”
Top Events: 200 Free (1:43.45) 100 Free (47.67) 100 Back (53.70)
Why Milligan: “I chose Milligan because of the dedication and commitment to improvement, team culture, and religious ties in everyday life.”
Adam Bengtson | Elgin Cyclones | Crystal Lake, IL
“Adam will be joining his brother, Noah, on the team and we couldn’t be happier,” said Scarth. “He’s a really good person and will be another strong addition to our distance group with still a lot of potential left.”
Top Events: 1650 Free (16:51.29) 500 Free (4:53.24) 200 Back (1:58.85)
Why Milligan: “I am excited to start my collegiate journey at Milligan and making a positive contribution to the swim team.”
RJ Brumit | Barracuda Swim Club | Kingsport, TN
“R.J. is one of the most well rounded student-athletes we’ve ever recruited,” said Scarth. “He is a great student, swimmer, and person, and plays one heck of national anthem on the saxophone. He is a very versatile swimmer, and he could fit in a number of different events with scoring potential at the national level.”
Top Events: 100 Breast (58.50) 100 Fly (51.04) 50 Free (21.57)
Why Milligan: “Milligan stood out to me due to its faith based mission and rapidly improving program. I want to thank all the teammates, coaches and family members who helped me in this part of my journey!”
Michael Cellucci | Mecklenberg Swim Association | Matthews, NC
“Michael knew pretty early on that he wanted to be a Buff, and he certainly has been one of the biggest champions of our program since his decision last fall,” said Scarth. “We’re looking forward to his competitive spirit joining our program, along with times that will help solidify our distance program as the top in the conference.”
Top Events: 1000 Free (10:03.61) 200 Breast (2:11.18) 400 IM (4:19.67)
Why Milligan: “Coach Scarth and the team were very welcoming upon my visit there and the campus has a great feel to it. I want to thank God, my family, my teammates and coaches for getting me to this point. Go Buffs!”
Caleb Fry | Swim Atlanta | Cumming, GA
“Caleb is going to have an immediate impact for our breaststroke group and on our relays,” said Scarth. “He easily could have gone to large D1 programs, but didn’t want that kind of experience and wanted to help our team continue to move forward. He’ll be a great fit for our program and has the potential to do some major damage at the national level.”
Top Events: 100 Breast (1:02.76 L) 200 Breast (2:16.26 L) 50 Free (21.33)
Why Milligan: “Milligan was a great opportunity for me. I wanted a school that had small class sizes, but also had a great swim team. The team was very friendly and made me feel welcome when I visited. I look forward to being a Milligan Buffalo!”
Peter Gilbert | Occoquan Swimming Inc | Gainesville, VA
“Peter is going to have an immediate impact on the national level,” said Scarth. “Much like his brother Stephen (and they’ll probably get tired of hearing the comparisons!) he is very versatile but will have his largest scoring potential in the distance events. We are very happy to have both Gilbert’s here for everything they bring to our team, in and out of the pool.”
Top Events: 1650 Free (16:05.87) 500 Free (4:37.12) 400 IM (4:06.55)
Why Milligan: “I’m looking forward to attending Milligan and becoming a part of a team on the rise, while also creating lifelong relationships. Can’t wait to be a Water Buffalo! Go Buffs!”
Spencer Hall | High Point Swim Club | Thomasville, NC
“Spencer is another guy that has been consistently dropping time and will help us out in some key sprint events,” said Scarth. “From the start, he expressed a lot of interest in continuing to get better and coming to Milligan for the right reasons, and that’s exactly what we look for.”
Top Events: 50 Free (21.81) 100 Free (49.16) 100 Fly (53.51)
Why Milligan: “I chose Milligan for their great academic opportunities and also for the chance to grow as a swimmer. Coach Scarth and the team were very welcoming when I met them. I can’t wait to do great things in and out of the pool!”
Jacob Miller | Virginia Gators | Roanoke, VA
“Jacob is another very strong addition to our distance group,” said Scarth. “It’s hard to believe that just a short while ago our mile record was barely under 18:00, and now we have guys that have sub 16:00 potential. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see what these guys can do, and Jacob will be right at the top of that group.”
Top Events: 1650 Free (16:21.00) 500 Free (4:42.76) 400 IM (4:13.00)
Why Milligan: “I would like to thank my family, coaches, and teammates for their continued support and helping me reach my goals. I also want to thank Coach Scarth and his swim team for welcoming me. I’m excited to be a part of such an amazing swim team! Go WaterBuffs!”
Zac Nelson | Aquatic Team of Mecklenberg | Fort Mill, SC
“Zac has had a very consistent trajectory of improvement, and it seems like almost every championship meet he has been at of late, he has improved,” said Scarth. “His upcoming experience at the USA Futures Championship will give him a lot of valuable experience as he transitions to college swimming, and we’re excited to see him continue to improve here.”
Top Events: 100 Breast (1:08.16 L) 100 Free (48.97) 200 Breast (2:12.16)
Why Milligan: “I look forward to joining the incredible group of athletes at Milligan in growing my faith, knowledge, and swimming. Go Buffs!”
Ben Tomberlin | Hickory Foundation/Catawaba Valley YMCA | Hudson, NC
“Ben is extremely excited to be joining our program and is a tremendous fit for us across the board,” said Scarth. “He has a really solid training background and someone who I believe will continue to drop buckets of time here, as he’s dropped more than 10 seconds in his 200 back within the last year. He will also be the first male nursing student in our program’s history, and we’re excited to see where he will go with that.”
Top Events: 200 Free (1:47.45) 200 Back (1:59.77) 200 IM (2:01.43)
Why Milligan: “I chose Milligan because of the great academic opportunity, but also the chance to advance my abilities in the pool. I am very excited for the next chapter of my life and Milligan seems like the perfect place. Coach Scarth was very welcoming and I cannot wait to do big things in and out of the pool!”