PCC's Che 88th Place Finally Recognized In Men's Cross Country State Meet Results

A photo shows PCC runner Dylan Che (black jersey) finishing the CCCAA State Meet, but he was left out of the official results days after the event due to a faulty timing chip.
A photo shows PCC runner Dylan Che (black jersey) finishing the CCCAA State Meet, but he was left out of the official results days after the event due to a faulty timing chip.

Technology has come a long way in many sports, including the timing system for cross country racing. Unfortunately, errors can occur and for a period of time the CCCAA State Championship meet results left out Pasadena City College men's team sophomore racer Dylan Che.

It took 10 days after the conclusion of the meet for Che's 88th place finish individually to be recognized by meet management. Che ran a time of 22 minutes, 2.4 seconds over the 4-mile course at Fresno's Woodward Park, but his timing chip on his jersey failed to function.

PCC head coach Innocent Egbunike had to make several calls and e-mails to the state meet officials before Che was validated as a finisher.

Che, a 5-foot-10 letterman from Arcadia High, was the top Lancer at all nine of the team's meets this year. At state on November 17, Che ran as an individual along with Lancers frosh teammate Giovanni Guajardo (Temple City HS), who took 136th place at 22:47.4. PCC did not qualify as a team. A field of 169 runners overall participated.

PCC's fellow South Coast Conference colleges made a clean sweep of the four big awards as Mt. San Antonio won the men's championship, El Camino's Carson Bix won the men's race, LA Harbor won the women's title and the Seahawks runner Brenda Rosales Coria captured the women's individual title.