PCC Swimmer Givens Grabs Silver In State Women's 100 Freestyle

The Pasadena City College women's swim team didn't start out the 2016 CCCAA Swimming and Diving State Championships well, but the Lancers finished on a high note thanks to the speedy performances of freestyler Ariahn Givens. PCC placed 12th in the state meet held for the sixth straight year at East Los Angeles College's Swim Stadium May 5-7.

On Saturday, the sophomore Givens swam to the silver medal in the 100-yard freestyle with the second fastest time in PCC history. Givens reached the finish wall in 52.83 seconds while State Swimmer of the Meet Rebecca Aguilar won the race in a near state record time of 50.59. 

Givens, a 2-time South Coast Conference Swimmer of the Year, helped PCC cap the meet with the consolation title in the women's 400 freestyle relay. She swam the field's fastest anchor leg of 52.97 as the Lancers won the race (ninth overall for 18 team points) in 3:42.46. Anais Hacobian, Liza Echeverria and Phoebe Lee were the other members of the win as PCC edged out Grossmont (3:43 flat).

PCC's 127 points and placing might have been different had the team not opened the meet with a disqualification in the finals of the 200 freestyle relay. A technical mistake made late in the race caused the DQ that lost an automatic 22 points that PCC could have scored just by taking eighth. The Lancers would have finished 10th overall as the program's streak of top 10 finishes ended at three years in a row. Last year, PCC made its highest state finish in fifth place. 

Earlier in the meet, Givens scored a fourth place medal in breaking the school record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.48. She scored three top 8 medals over with her sixth place in the 200 freestyle (1:56.29). Givens holds the school record in the event that she set as a freshman in 1:55.49. 

"Ariahn is simply the best freestyle sprinter I've ever coached here," said PCC head coach Terry Stoddard in his 17th season. "She set defensive records in water polo, and has numerous accolades in swimming. She was the conference's best swimmer two years running and really our outstanding dual meet records the past two years had a lot to do with her performances. She swam other events to help us win, showing her versatility in the pool."

Echeverria, a sophomore and this year's SCC Co-Swimmer of Year with Givens, placed fifth in the 400 individual medley (4:42.31) and was sixth in the 200 IM in 2:13.35. She also took 12th in the 200 breaststroke (2:34.57). Echeverria holds the school record in the 400 IM as a freshman at 4:41.31. 

The Lancers reached an eighth place medal in the 800 freestyle relay (8:15.68) and were 12th in the 400 medley relay (4:15 flat). 

[Photo--Lancer Ariahn Givens during a race at the state meet at East Los Angeles College, image by Richard Quinton.]