For the first time in its 32-year history in the South Coast Conference, the Pasadena City College men's swim team won the conference dual season title. The Lancers completed a perfect season at 7-0 in SCC duals on Friday in defeating host Cerritos College, 156-103, and LA Trade Tech, 204-47.
The Lancers, who are 8-1 overall in duals, are now poised as the favorites to win the SCC Championships and secure their first conference crown in South Coast history and first under head coach Terry Stoddard, who took over a then dormant program at PCC in the 2000 season. The dual title while recognized as a team achievement is not formally rewarded as the SCC title in the sport since only one title is handed out in all other sports. The team that finishes first at the SCC Championships April 19-21 at Mt. San Antonio College wins the official crown.
"Although we have had good teams and great individuals over the years, what makes this team a great team and a cut above is the excellent balance in almost all of the strokes and almost all of the events," Stoddard said. "We also have great leadership from swimmers like lettermen Samuel Jo and Sydney Odent who strive for excellence every day in practice balanced with a youthful enthusiastic desire to go to the next level. They are all willing to work hard to achieve it!"
At the Cerritos double dual, Odent won the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.94), 200 backstroke (2:03.96), and 100 butterfly (54.75) while Jo, a 2-time state champion last season, took first place in the 100-yard backstroke (53.87) and the 500 freestyle (4:46.97). Freshman Roman Rostomyan hit the wall first in the 1,000 freestyle (10:06.29) and 50 freestyle (22.52). Sophomore Jayson Wilia took first in the 200 butterfly (2:04.35) and 200 individual medley (2:07.31). First-year swimmer Chris Hunt picked up first in the 200 breaststroke (2:23.21). PCC also won the 200 medley relay (Jo, Odent, Wilia and Rostomyan, 1:42.13).
While officially, Cerritos won the 400 freestyle relay, PCC swam two squads as exhibitions that had better times including Rostomyan, Odent, Mario Castanon and Sebastian Youngblood recording a 3:29.36. Freshman Sevada Avanessian took second place in the 200 freestyle (2:00.01) and 100 freestyle (53.44), just behind Cerritos' event winner Jake Evans (53.12). In the 200 breaststroke, Castanon (2:30.26) and Justin Tenchavez (2:35.75), both collegiate rookies, allowed PCC to go 1-2-3 in the event in Hunt's win.
The Lancers will be back in the pool on Friday-Saturday, April 6-7 at the 18th Pasadena Invitational held at the Aquatic Center.