SCIAC Swimming & Diving Character Awards

REDLANDS, Calif. – The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) announced the 2021-22 Character Awards for Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving with University of Redlands senior Fly/Freestyler Makenna Parenti (Rocklin, CA) being voted on by the league's member head coaches as one of two recipients.   

"Makenna is a selfless teammate who attended every single practice, explained Head Coach Leslie Whittemore.  "She added diving to her repertoire during her sophomore year, was the freshmen class team captain in 2018-19, and served as mentor extraordinaire during her senior year."

Parenti is graduating with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders along with a minor in Psychology and has been admitted to a number of master's programs for the fall of 2022.  While competing on the U of R Swim & Dive team she has held the following additional jobs:

• Admissions Student Ambassador (Represented Redlands as the face of the University for prospective students)
  • Worked alongside counselors to plan and execute day visits, college fairs, student panels, and virtual tours
• Secretary/Fundraiser for the NSSLHA (National Student Speech Language Hearing Association)
  • Was a member all four years and helped organize and facilitate events supporting the NSSLHA chapter of Redlands.
• Helped raise a minimum of $100 per semester for organizations such as the National Hearing Loss Association and the American Cancer Society
• Volunteered at community events including Relay for Life, Japanese International Student Visit (Osaka Event at Redlands), and the "Bug Buddies" After School Program.
• As part of NSSLHA & Delta Kappa Psi she has participated in community service at Redlands Family Services, the LA Union Rescue Mission Homeless Shelter, and Loma Linda Hospital.

While competing at her highest level, Makenna was able to contribute to the University as a whole, gave back to the community, and demonstrated balance in her studies, athletics, and community service. 

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The swimming & diving character award is presented to a senior who best exemplifies success in the pool, in the classroom, and with involvement in community and school service. Specifically, it recognizes students who, while competing on their teams, have been recognized by coaches, officials, institutional administrators, or others as making significant contributions to representing their school and serving their communities based on the following criteria: advancing sportsmanship, balancing sports and major personal academic achievements, demonstrating behavior that models efforts of inclusion within their teams and those of their opponents, contributes to a sense of civility in society, or otherwise innovatively elevates the profile of what participation in the SCIAC conference and as a Division III student-athlete can offer to the betterment of the community.