Samuel Jo Is South Coast Co-Men's Swimmer of Year, PCC 3rd Place
For consecutive five years from 2007-2011, the Pasadena City College men's swim team had an athlete named South Coast Conference Swimmer of the Year. After a 5-year drought, the Lancers returned to the award circle as Samuel Jo was named SCC Co-Men's Swimmer of the Year with Mt. San Antonio's Spencer Chlebowski for their performances at the 2017 SCC Championships April 20-22 at Mt. SAC.
For five consecutive years from 2007-2011, the Pasadena City College men's swim team had an athlete named South Coast Conference Swimmer of the Year. After a 5-year drought, the Lancers returned to the award circle as Samuel Jo was named SCC Co-Men's Swimmer of the Year with Mt. San Antonio's Spencer Chlebowski for their performances at the 2017 SCC Championships April 20-22 at Mt. SAC.
PCC placed third in the final 8-team standings with 544 points, finishing behind SCC champion Mt. San Antonio (845) and second-place Long Beach CC with 590. It was the second best Lancers finish under head coach Terry Stoddard. The Lancers were second in a 5-team conference in 2001. The Lancers were third in their first year in the SCC in 1988 and second the next season.
Jo, a freshman, has continually been breaking his own school record in the 100-yard backstroke. At the conference meet, he did it again twice, but it was his victory in the 100 back that secured his latest fastest mark of 50.79 seconds. Jo owns the 200 backstroke school record as well, but his 1:53.56 time for the SCC gold was a little slower than his record of 1:53.10 performed at the Pasadena Invitational. Jo also won the 200 freestyle in 1:42.37.
"Samuel is very determined and his three wins were much deserved," said PCC head coach Terry Stoddard. "He is so fast as a backstroker. He pulled off a double win in the 200 free and 100 back just 40 minutes apart, and that's not an easy feat. The 200 free was one of our fastest times ever."
While Jo certainly took the spotlight, freshman teammate Sydney Odent nearly made PCC history in winning the 200 individual medley crown. Odent's winning time of 1:54.96 was just .17 off the record set by PCC Hall of Famer Glen Aikin in 1978 of 1:54.79.
Narek Yeghikyan scored a PCC event win in the 200 butterfly with a 1:58.65.
The team tallied an event title crown in the 400 medley relay on a time of 3:32.93 behind the swimming of Jo, Odent, Jayson Wilia and anchor Zachary Loomer. It was PCC's first conference relays win in seven years and first time in 16 years that it won in this event. It took just a day for the Lancers to win its next relay, the 200 medley relay in 1:36.58 (Jo, Odent, Wilia and Loomer).
The Lancers seven event wins are the most by the college since it collected nine golds at the 2009 conference meet.
Other top placings for the Lancers were as follows:
Wilia, 3rd, 200 IM, 1:59.29
Leo Nuntapramote, 7th, 200 IM, 2:07.45
Loomer, 5th, 50 freestyle, 22.29
Yeghikyan, 2nd, 400 IM, 4:19.64
Wilia, 2nd, 100 butterfy, 53.65
Albert Khanipov, 5th, 100 butterfly, 54.60
Loomer, 7th, 100 butterfly, 54.70
David Jimenez, 4th, 100 backstroke, 55.05
Odent, 3rd, 100 breaststroke, 59.48
Yeghikyan, 3rd, 1,650 freestyle, 17:14.92
Wilia, 4th, 200 butterly, 2:02.59
Odent, 2nd, 200 breaststroke, 2:08.41
Nuntampramote, 8th, 200 breaststroke, 2:21.95
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.
