A Different Type of 3rd Place For Men's Swim At SCC Finals
Team scoring at conference swimming and diving championships is as much about depth than anything else. Last year, the Lancers won nine events, dominating the gold medal recognitions at the 2018 South Coast Conference Championships. Yet, the team scored 539 points and it resulted in third place as a team. This year, PCC did not win a single event but its 442 points was good enough for that same third place at the SCC meet held April 18-20 at conference champion Mt. San Antonio College.
Team scoring at conference swimming and diving championships is as much about depth than anything else. Last year, the Lancers won nine events, dominating the gold medal recognitions at the 2018 South Coast Conference Championships. Yet, the team scored 539 points and it resulted in third place as a team. This year, PCC did not win a single event but its 442 points was good enough for that same third place at the SCC meet held April 18-20 at conference champion Mt. San Antonio College.
It was the first time that PCC did not have a conference individual champion since 2014 after Coach Terry Stoddard's program produced 62 champs since 2001 with only one other year sans a champion (2003).
Michael Humphrey swam two state top 3 marks in the best peformance by the Lancers that in other years might have been enough to be conference champion times. Humphrey was in a 2-man battle in the 200-yard butterfly but his 1:53.88 was behind Mt. SAC champion Jonathan Olvera at 1:52.55, now the state's fastest time this year. Humphrey has the third fastest qualifying time for the upcoming CCCAA State Meet and his swim is #10 on the school's all-time list.
In the 400 individual medley, Humphrey's 4:09.36 finish was the sixth fastest in PCC history and his third place happened to be behind the two fastest marks by anyone in the state this year, all in one race. Mt. SAC's Jason Harary won with a new SCC record 3:59.83 and his teammate Ryan Lin scored a 4:07.18 for second.
Finally, Humphrey swam the sixth fastest mark ever at PCC in the 200 IM, but again his 1:55.35 was second place behind another SCC meet record mark for the title by Harary (1:51.09). Humphrey has the state's #7 mark this year.
Harrison Tin scored second in one of the meet's most exciting races in the 100 breaststroke. Tin just hit the wall .10 of a second behind Lin (59.69 to 59.79). Tin's mark is sixth fastest in PCC program history. Tin also placed second in the 200 breaststroke at 2:11.48.
Other PCC second places were earned by the 200 medley relay squad of Brandon Tu, Tin, Humphrey and Mathew Bilaver (1:39.17) and the same foursome in the 400 medley relay (3:36.43).
The Lancers will participate at the CCCAA State Championships on May 2-4 at De Anza College.