ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State Athletics has announced the hiring of Scotty Serio (’14) as the new head coach for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs.

Serio, a Red Wave alum and former assistant whose most recent stop was as the head coach at McKinney High School in McKinney, Texas, follows Hall of Honor inductee Coak Matthews, who retired as head coach after 39 years in April.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Scotty Serio back to Henderson State as the next head coach of our swimming and diving programs,” Director of Athletics Shawn Jones said. “Scotty is a Reddie through and through, and his passion for both this program and the University was evident throughout the search process. His wealth of experience from coaching at the highest classification of high school swimming in Texas has prepared him to lead the Red Wave into the future. Scotty checked every box for us and what we were looking for. We cannot wait to see him take this program and make it his own in the coming years.”

A McKinney, Texas native, Serio was a team captain for HSU under Matthews in both 2012 and 2013, and said he is excited to come home for what he sees as a dream job.

“Today truly is a dream come true for me,” Serio said. “I am eager to serve my alma mater and am honored to be entrusted with the Red Wave program that was an integral part of my development as an athlete, coach, and father.”

Serio is no stranger to following a coaching legend. In 2016, he took over the reins at McKinney High School from his father, Sam, who spent 33 years as head coach and led the Lions to nine district and four regional championships.

In the younger Serio’s five seasons at McKinney, he was twice named District Diving Coach of the Year and helped the Lions break several long-standing records at the school. Under his leadership, McKinney’s women’s team never failed to finish in the Top-6 of the 6-6A region and the men clinched Top-12 region results in each of the last two seasons.

Before succeeding his father, Serio was an assistant coach for Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas, from 2015 to 2016, where he was named both Boys and Girls District Diving Coach of the Year. In 2014, he served as head coach for beginners and high school age students at the Metroplex Aquatics Swim Club in Allen, Texas — the second-largest club team in the state.

Serio was introduced to collegiate coaching in the 2013-14 season when he served as a student assistant for the Red Wave men’s and women’s programs. In his time as an assistant for Henderson, Serio worked with sprint, individual medley and distance groups, helped develop multiple NCAA national qualifiers, and co-designed the Red Wave weight program.

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Serio was a stand-out in the pool for the Red Wave from 2010 to 2013. He took third-place and scored 16 points for Henderson at the 2012 NSISC Championship meet in the 1-meter dive, placed sixth in the same event at the 2013 conference championships, and had Top-10 NSISC finishes as a leg of both the 400-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard medley relay. In Serio’s senior season in 2013, the Red Wave finished No. 20 in the country at the NCAA DII National Championships.

“During the interview process, I was deeply impressed with Coach Serio’s passion for Henderson State University and the Red Wave swimming and diving program,” said Henderson State Chancellor Dr. Jim Borsig. “I believe his love for our school and this community will shine through in the way he coaches and mentors our Red Wave student-athletes every day. We are excited for Coach Serio and his family, and are thrilled to welcome them back home.”

Serio will officially begin his duties at Henderson State on July 1, 2021.

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ARKADELPHIA — The Henderson State men’s swimming and diving team received hardware from the New South Intercollegiate Swimming Conference on Monday when four swimmers earned 2018-19 All-NSISC honors.

Nathan Bighetti highlighted the Red Wave’s selections and was the lone swimmer from HSU on the NSISC First Team. Bighetti was the conference champion in the 200-yard backstroke and went on to be the national runner-up in the event at the NCAA Championship in Indianapolis. Henderson was one of just three schools to be represented on the NSISC First Team.

Stephen Jones, Oscar Patten, and Tom Nguyen were all named to the NSISC Second Team for their performances at the conference championship meet. Jones scored 44 individual points, while Patten scored 33 and Nguyen 31.

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WALNUT RIDGE – After a year of recruiting and preparation, the inaugural Williams Baptist College swimming team will jump into the pool and compete for the first time on Friday, Oct. 13.

“We have meets in Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois. All our events are against NCAA Division II or III schools. We know our competition will be outstanding, but we will focus on racing against the clock, while we strive to improve our individual and relay times throughout the season,” said Head Coach Lee Moore.

Both teams have nine athletes representing them. On the men’s side Danilo Cruz will be the lone senior.  Sophomores Rafael Faria, Martin Alguacil, and Issiah Phillips join Cruz as the only non-freshmen on the team. The freshmen class includes Spencer Golden, Seth Haile, Alex Mason, A.J. Rogers, and Chase Smith.

“Our most experience swimmers are Chase Smith and A.J. Rogers. Chase is a sprinter who can race in any of the strokes, and will probably end up competing in the individual medley. A.J. is a sprinter who specialities include freestyle and breaststroke,” Moore said.

The women’s team is comprised of three seniors, one junior, two sophomores, and three freshmen. Katelyn Estes, Erika Isbill, and Lexie Smith are the seniors, while Bethany Jaques is the lone junior. The sophomores are Scarlett James and Hannah Vernon, while Julie Foster joins twins Claire Shepherd and Olivia Shepherd as the freshmen on the squad.

“Our fastest incoming times have been posted by Hannah Vernon and Julie Foster. Hannah is a sprinter who focuses on freestyle and breaststroke. Julie is a mid-distance swimmer who will look to compete in the individual medley,” Moore said.

The Williams athletic program announced the start of a men’s and women’s swimming team last September. The first year program has been working in the weight room, as well as in the pool this semester. The team currently trains at the Pocahontas Aquatic Center in Pocahontas, Ark.

“The preseason has gone well in both the pool and the weight room. The athletes have challenged themselves to go hard during the sprint workouts and push through the distance days.  They have been able to both race each other and encourage each other.  They are definitely looking forward to beginning the competition phase of the season,” Moore said.

Competition will start on Friday, Oct. 13, in Clarksville, Ark. The Eagles will compete in a double-dual at the University of the Ozarks. The other school involved will be Tabor College. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

You can find a complete roster, schedule, and more at www.wbceagles.com.

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NORFOLK, Va. – Both the Hendrix College men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams received College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Team Awards for Spring 2016.

Under head coach Marty Wahle, the men’s squad recorded a 3.32 cumulative grade point average, while the women had a 3.13.

The Warrior women have been the recipients of the award for all 56 semesters it has been offered since 1988. The men have earned the honor 55 out of the 56 semesters.

The CSCAA Scholar All-American Team Award is presented to college and university swimming and diving teams, who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

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