PCC Men's Track and Field Already In 2018 Recruiting Mode

While the Pasadena City College men's track and field season officially ended at the Southern California Championships on May 13 at Cerritos College, that's where PCC first-year head coach Innocent Egbunike said he's already in full recruiting mode for the 2018 season. 

Eduardo Urbina, a freshman who placed 12th in the 1,500 meters at the SoCal meet, will be one of a few returners to the Lancers next year for Egbunike, who said he will have proper time for his first recruiting class for the 2018 season.

"By the time I started here, recruiting season was over for the community college track teams in the state," said Egbunike, once an Olympic medalist for Nigeria. "But I am following our local area schools and making recruiting my No. 1 job in the search for top-flight athletes to come to PCC. We will bring in athletes that we expect will be able to score at the big meets and improve their personal bests over the course of the season. There is a great track and field history here at PCC, and it's my goal to bring us back to being a premier college for the sport."

In 2015, Alexander McElwee was the school's last state individual champion when he won the 400 meters title. 

Some other recent PCC track history includes the four state individual titles collected by Edino Steele (see photo) at the 2007 CCCAA State Championships. Going farther back, the Lancers won state team championships in 1978 and 1984 under then head coach and later athletic director Skip Robinson.

Both the great PCC alumnus Jackie Robinson and his older brother Mack Robinson, a 1936 Olympic silver medalist in the 200 meters, set then national community college records in sprints and the long jump while attending then Pasadena Junior College from 1936-1939. PCC's practices daily during the season at on-campus Robinson Stadium, named after the two famous brothers.