Talented Newcomer Phillips Excels In 2026 Men's Track And Field's Season Opener

Freshman sprinter Aidon Phillips won the 150 meters and was part of the 4x400 relay victory to highlight the Pasadena City College men's track and field team's performances at the South Coast Conference Opener meet held Friday at El Camino College.

Phillips came to PCC with bells and whistles after his career at local Muir High. As a junior, Phillips won both the 100 and 200 meter events at the 78th Pasadena Games in 2024. 

In the SCC Opener meet, Phillips soared at a time of 16.19 seconds to win the 150 event, an unconventional race for the collegiate level. In the 4x400 relay, the Lancers squad of sophomore transfer Alan Razo (La Canada High, competed as a freshman at NCAA Division II Cal Poly Humboldt), freshman Izaiah Reed (Muir HS), Phillips and returning sophomore Anthony Pequeno came in a dead heat for first place with Mt. San Antonio College in a time of 3:22.02. 

Pequeno, who was second in the 200 at both the SCC and SoCal Championships (ninth at the 3C2A State Championships) as a freshman, placed third in the 150 at 16.30.

Freshman Drake Anderson (Pasadena High), a member of the 2025 Lancers cross country team, excelled in the 800 as he scored second place in a time of 2:02.56. He also was eighth in the 1,500 (4:21.36) and 10th in the 3,000 (9:34.34).

First-year thrower Milo Peoples (another recruit from PHS) placed third in the javelin with a throw of 155 feet, three inches. He also was 12th in the discus (73-2) and 14th in the shot put (23-4.5).

Returning sophomore distance racer Lucas Plascencia placed eighth in the 800 at 2:08.17, was 14th in the 1,500 (4:26.65), and 19th in the 3,000 (9:56.27).

The men's team had fun participating with the PCC women's team as Reed and Pequeno joined Mia Belmonte and Nadia Mims to score second in the Mixed 4x400 relay (4:17.35). 

Other PCC men's track and field performers at the SCC Opener:

Matthew Suarez (Fr, Mark Keppel High) discus throw, 12th, 73-2; shot put, 19th, 23-4.5
John Sanchez-Lopez (Fr, Mountain View, Lancers men's cross country) 800, 13th, 2:11.54, 1,500, 32nd (4:41.12), 3,000, 27th (10:29.73)
Joshua Ramirez (Fr, Nueva Vista) 800, 15th, 2:12.27, 1,500, 40th, 4:51.99
Julian Esparza (returning sophomore) 400, 16th, 1:05.25, 150, 44th, 21.15
Edgar Valenzuela (Fr, Muir, Lancers men's cross country) 800, 24th, 2:16.01, 1,500, 28th, 4:37.48, 3,000, 20th, 4:56.59
Antonio Altamirano (Fr, Sherman Oaks Center For Enriched Studies) 800, 25th, 2:16.71
Dylan La Marsna (returning sophomore) 800, 27th, 2:17.42, 1,500, 31st, 4:40.78
Benicio Haro (Fr, Temple City) 800, 29th, 2:28.16, 1,500, 35th, 4:42.97, 3,000, 23rd, 10:15.90
Eugene Dela Cruz (Fr, Glendale) 60, 31st, 7.61
Claudio Reynoso (Fr, Marshall Fundamental) 800, 32nd, 2:37.99, 1,500, 43rd, 5:23.59
Dylan Hooks (Fr, Glendale) 150, 32nd, 18.11

PCC, directed by head coach Innocent Egbunike in his ninth season in charge of the Lancers teams, next participates at this Friday's Battle of the Regions meet at Bakersfield College. The Lancers have 34 student-athletes overall expected to compete this season.