Melissa Cienega goes into her sophomore season on the Pasadena City College women's swim team in 2018 knowing her next destination. She signed a scholarship Monday to attend California Baptist University (Riverside).
On the waves of a spectacular freshman season, Pasadena City College women's swimmer Melissa Cienega etched her name on the 2017 All-American Top 16 Listings with top five times in four different events. Cienega was a double state gold medalist at the CCCAA State Championships in May and then was named the 2016-2017 PCC Women's Athlete of the Year for all sports.
In the two longest distance races in swimming, Pasadena City College women's team freshman Melissa Cienega played the role of "the closer" to perfection. Cienega duplicated her win in the 500-yard freestyle by catching the original leader in the final stages Saturday as she captured the 1,650 freestyle title at the CCCAA State Swimming and Diving Championships at East Los Angeles College.
For 450 yards, Sierra Cox looked like she would repeat as the CCCAA state women's swim champion in the 500-yard freestyle. The Orange Coast College sophomore was steady early on and seemed to be breezing without worry. What she didn't realize was that objects or people are closer than they appear. Pasadena City College freshman Melissa Cienega snuck up on Cox and passed her in the final 10 yards for a stunning gold medal victory.
Highly-ranked Melissa Cienega is part of a small contingent of Pasadena City College women participating Thursday-Saturday, May 4-6 in the CCCAA State Swimming and Diving Championships at East Los Angeles College's Swim Stadium. Cienega is No. 2 in the state currently in both the 500-yard freestyle and 400 individual medley. She is third in the 200 freestyle.
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.
Melissa Cienega won both the 400-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle events to help the Pasadena City College women's swim team take fourth place at the 17th Pasadena Inivitational held April 6-8 at the Aquatic Center.
The Pasadena City College women's swim team settled for third place in the South Coast Conference dual meet standings at 6-2 after a split in its conference finale meet at Chaffey College on Mar. 31.
The Pasadena City College women's swim team isn't overwhelming opponents, but the Lancers are finding ways to win in close South Coast Conference meets this season. PCC edged host East Los Angeles, 132-118 and downed Cerritos, 128-112, to sweep a double dual meet Friday.
The Pasadena City College women's swim team keeps posting event victories and in the process the Lancers are maintaining a high spot in the South Coast Conference dual meet standings race. PCC swept a double dual meet against Rio Hondo, 124-92, and host Long Beach City, 109-94, on Friday. Pasadena is 3-1 in SCC meets.
Freshmen Jocelyn Jo and Melissa Cienega won three individual events each as the Pasadena City College women's swim team beat LA Trade Tech, 134-120, and lost to Mt. San Antonio, 166-107, in the South Coast Conference opener Friday at the Aquatic Center.
From 2013 through last year, the Pasadena City College women's swim team vaulted into the upper tier of state programs. Numerous school records were set, the program's first two state individual titles were won by Shannon Cheung in 2014, and the school boasted South Coast Conference Co-Swimmers of the Year in 2014, 2015, and 2016 after Cheung's solo win in 2013.