For 4th Straight Year, PCC Produces SCC Women's Co-Swimmers of Year

In what has been a remarkable run of great women's swimmers at Pasadena City College, the Lancers once again continued the string of individual success April 20-22 at the South Coast Conference Championships held at Mt. San Antonio College. 

For the fourth straight season, PCC came away with Co-Women's Swimmers of the Year that went to freshmen Melissa Cienega and Jocelyn Jo. It was the fifth year in a row that a Lancer won the award that started with the only solo Swimmer of the Year in 2013's Shannon Cheung. 

Despite just seven swimmers on the 2017 roster, PCC accumulated 341 points, good enough for fourth place in the conference. Mt. San Antonio won the South Coast team title with 730.5 points, El Camino was second with 615, and East Los Angeles third with 380. Pasadena finished in second place in 2015 and 2016. 

The Lancers won eight events including three each by Cienega and Jo. Cienega first won the 500-yard freestyle title with a 5:08.24 time, second fastest in PCC history, on Thursday. On Friday, she smashed the school record and South Coast record to win the 400 individual medley in 4:39.30. The previous best mark was former PCC/SCC record holder Liza Echeverria, who swam a 4:41.31 at the 2015 conference meet. Later that day, Cienega captured the 200 freestyle gold medal with an explosive 1:55.70, just .21 off the school record set by Ariahn Givens in 2015 (1:55.49).

"I'm most pleased with Melissa's double wins on day 2 of the meet as they were done 40 minutes apart and such impressive swims," said PCC head coach Terry Stoddard. "The toughest test of the meet was the 200 free. It took a strong effort in last 50 for the win, demonstrating some grit to be able to double and finish with a 28.82 on the end to fend off El Camino's Cindy Ngo (just .27 behind in second place)."

Jo set things in motion with her Thursday victory in the 200 IM as she swam 2:15.24. On Friday, Jo took gold in the 100 breaststroke at 1:07.99, just .44 behind Arolyn Basham's PCC record set in 2014. In order to match Cienega's trio of titles, Jo needed to win the 200 breaststroke on Saturday and she did it with a 2:30.74 mark, setting a new PCC school record in the event. 

Stoddard said: "Jocelyn's 100 breaststroke win was an exciting swim because she dropped three seconds from her best PCC time. At the 50 she was challenged, but her great second half (35.68) allowed her to pull away from the field. In her 200 breaststroke swim, she got out in front early and she was so far ahead that she was able to shoot for the school record on her own. Melissa and Jocelyn really deserved to share the best swimmer award, and earned it with fast marks."

The Lancers won the 400 medley relay in 4:13.71 behind the legs/arms of Anais Hacobian, Jo, Cienega and anchor Lindsay Jensen. They capped the meet by winning the final event, the 400 freestyle relay in 3:43.90 with the order of Cienega, Jo, Jensen and Hacobian.

Hacobian placed third in the 50 freestyle (25.36), third in the 100 freestyle (54.84), and fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:05.22). 

PCC will go for some hardware when it participates in the CCCAA State Championships on Thursday-Saturday, May 4-6 at East Los Angeles College's Swim Stadium.