PCC Women's Water Polo: Top 10 Players From 2000-2020

With two decades in the history books since the start of the 21st century, Pasadena City College Athletics will go through sport by sport as we look back at the Top 10 performers for every sport in the 2000s as determined by the sports information office. Today, we rank the Top 10 from Lancers women's water polo.

Of the outstanding Lancers who didn't make the cut but deserve honorable mentions, it is an impressive list that starts with goalie Amanda Kim (2001), 261 saves, third highest single-season mark and led the SCC, center Heather Manwaring, an All-SoCal, All-SCC First Team selection in 2008, Carla Corea (2002-2003), a talented swimmer who covered both sides of the pool, Jade Wilia (2008-2009), who led the team in goals her sophomore year with 51, Karissa Peltier (2006-2007), a defensive specialist (86 career steals) and playmaker whose 60 career assists are second all-time in that category, Irma Sarac (2015-2016), who collected 66 goals, 46 assists and 118 steals (fourth all-time for Lancers), Marissa Rack (2012), who in her one season led PCC in steals with 78 and assists with 35 (and 25 goals) while also setting a school record for most assists in a game with seven, Briana Santos (2017), a lefty shooter who recovered from shoulder surgery to score a team-best 51 goals with 42 steals, and 2-year player Milene Minassians (2011-2012), who quietly contributed 74 goals and 72 steals in her PCC career.

Here are the Top 10 in reverse order:

10. Tie-Fernanda Alvarez, 2018-2019 and Andrea Ahle, 2005-2006: In a rebound 2019 season for the program, Alvarez, a center-forward, led the Lancers in scoring with 61 goals and 24 assists. An All-South Coast Conference First Team selection, Alvarez (a local recruit from Pasadena High) led PCC to its first, above .500, conference round-robin record at 4-3 since 2001. At the SCC Championship Tournament, Alvarez powered in four goals in a 6-5 win over East Los Angeles to advance the team to the third-place final. While PCC lost 11-7 to Mt. SAC to finish in the SCC's fourth place, Alvarez made life difficult for the Mounties. At the Fullerton Tournament that preceded the season-ending tourney, Alvarez netted a season-best six goals and added two assists to nearly upset the Mounties, only to lose 10-9. 

Ahle scored 96 goals in her two seasons, tied for fifth on all-time PCC's all-time list. The attacker from Lakewood's St. Joseph's High once scored eight goals in a game v. LA Trade Tech in '06. Ahle also swam for the Lancers for two seasons. A strong, all-around player, she was part of a 15-win Lancers team as a freshman when PCC won 12 of its last 17 games. She then was a team captain on the '06 squad and helped PCC finish a strong 10-5 over its final 15 games.

Fernanda Alvarez

Andrea Ahle

9. Tie-Kyrsten Proctor, 2015, and Sarah Min, 2006: In her one season for PCC, Proctor, a Temple City High grad and utility player was instrumental in helping the Lancers have one of the program's best seasons at 14-12. She was second on the team in goals with 58, led the squad in assists with 38, and her 70 steals also was good enough for second on the squad. One of her best stretches of play was at the 4-match, Cabrillo Tournament when Proctor tallied 17 goals and nine assists. Proctor pumped in six goals in a Battle at the Beach tourney win over Rio Hondo.

Another one season player was Min, who in 2006 lit the lamp for a then school-record (now second) 96 goals as she scored on 44 percent of her shot attempts. Min also made 109 steals, also a PCC single-season record since broken that led the conference that year. Over the team's final 15 games, the Lancers won 10 of them in part due to Min's high-scoring ways. She fired in six goals in the team's 12-11, overtime victory over LA Trade Tech at the SCC Tournament fifth place final. Min had an 8-goal game earlier in the year v. Chabot. Min was named All-Southern California that season. 

 Kyrsten Proctor

 Sarah Min

8. Christina Vargas, 2000-2001: For two seasons, Vargas helped establish PCC's program that began in 1999. She scored in the team's first-ever program victory, a 13-7 win over College of the Canyons on Sept. 15, 2000. She tallied four goals in the team's first conference win, 15-3 over Cerritos, and Vargas showed versatility by serving as the Lancers goalie in the SCC Tournament that year. As a sophomore, she was part of a 14-win team and scored four goals in the program's first-ever victory, 17-10 over Cerritos, at the SCC Tournament. The 2-time, All-SCC First Team selection set a still standing school record for most career assists with 72 and single-season assists with 48. Vargas also is second all-time in steals with 128.  

7. Clarque De Young, 2015-2016: From South Pasadena High, this goalie established herself as an athletic defender of the Lancers cage over two seasons. Her long arms and quick reflexes allowed De Young to become a 2-time, All-SCC First Team selection. She led the conference in saves as a sophomore in 2016 with 245, including 17 in a game v. Cerritos. Her 450 career saves is third on the school's all-time list. She recorded 57 steals her second season and added 11 assists on PCC scores as Coach Terry Stoddard did everything he could to try to take advantage of her talents. As a freshman, De Young set a Lancers single-season record with three shutouts and the team's 7.2 goals allowed average is the best defensive season in PCC history. 

6. Stephanie Velasco, 2013-2014: In her two seasons, this center-forward from Eagle Rock High became one of the program's most prolific goal scorers. Velasco led the squad in scoring in both 2013 and in 2014 when she tallied 77 goals. Her 140 career goals is second all-time at PCC and her 114 steals places her fifth all-time in that category. She added 43 assists as a complete player who used her physical strength to get open for shots. She twice scored as high as eight goals in a game and has a pair of 7-goal efforts. Velasco was named All-South Coast First Team in back-to-back seasons.

5. Shelby Gregg, 2011-2012: A Crescenta Valley High product, Gregg turned into one the program's great goalies in her two years at PCC. In her first year, the defensive wizard played the field and was the main goalie as she led the Lancers in saves (191) and in steals with 69. Her vast abilities were in plain view in a 7-6 Pasadena Bowl victory over Citrus when she made 12 saves, had six steals and tallied a hat trick, scoring once from her goalie spot at center pool and two others when inserted into a center-forward spot later in the match. In her second year, she became a cagestop machine in setting the school record for saves in a season with 279. She made a dazzling 19 stops v. LA Valley and in her final PCC match, broke Hannah Hogue's school record for saves in a year by two in a 7-5, overtime win over El Camino that captured fifth place at the SCC Tournament for the Lancers. She is second in career saves with 470. Gregg was twice selected All-SCC First Team. 

4. Makenzie Blank, 2011-2012: From Temple City High, Blank set her sights on becoming the Lancers go-to scorer as a freshman. By the time she was finished, Blank became PCC's all-time leading scorer with 168 goals over two seasons. In 2011, she accounted for 40 percent of the team's goals with 79. She led the team to its first win that year with a 7-goal outburst v. West Valley. By the 8-game mark, she had 30 goals. In her sophomore season of 2012, Blank became the program's all-time leader by scoring nine goals, the second-highest, single-game total in Lancers history, in a 14-12 OT loss v. El Camino. In a 5-day span, Blank rifled in seven goals v.  Cuesta and seven again in a SCC win over Rio Hondo. Blank finished the year with 89 goals, leading the team to a 6-2 record over its final games to take fifth place in conference. She added 59 steals and 19 assists on the year. Blank made All-SCC First Team both of her seasons.

3. Ariahn Givens, 2014-2015: One of the school's greatest women's athletes in recent history, Givens established herself as both a top swimmer and talented, all-around water polo player. From Los Angeles' Venice High, Givens developed into a defensive giant with her long arms and ability to leap and make field blocks. As a freshman, she set a PCC record for most steals in a season with 126 and added 42 goals and a team-high 32 assists. She set a school record for steals in a match with 13 in a win v. Santa Monica. Earlier that year, she tied the PCC record for assists in a game with seven against LA Trade Tech. As a sophomore, Givens took on a leadership role and became a threat at both sides of the pool. She helped the Lancers to a 14-win season, leading the Lancers in goals with 60 and breaking her own single-season steals mark with 147. In her final game as a Lancer, she tallied four goals and made 11 steals in a win over East Los Angeles that clinched fifth place at the SCC Tournament.  PCC Coach Terry Stoddard said of Givens that year, "She was like having a second goalie in the pool because of her defensive skills. She also turned into a tremendous sprinter, which is not surprising since she was a great freestyle swimmer."

2. Lybov Tchougounova, 2007: A talented All-CIF performer who had powered in 116 goals as a senior at Crescenta Valley High, "Luba" arrived at PCC with high expectations. She didn't disappoint. Tchougounova, who was born in the Ukraine and came to the USA as a child, used her 6-foot size and quick athletic skills to become an instant go-to scorer. She scored 16 goals in four games to help PCC take third place at the Saddleback Tournament. The team rattled off a 7-game win streak that included her rifling in seven goals v. Rio Hondo, and five each in 1-goal victories over Diablo Valley and Citrus. On Oct. 26, Tchougounova put on a clinic as she scored eight goals in the first quarter alone, then added three in the second in a 23-5 rout over Santa Monica. Without playing at all in the second half, she had set the PCC single-game record for goals with 11. With opponents using double teams and putting all their efforts to limit her scoring, PCC used their strategy against them as it allowed other Lancers to get open for quality scoring chances. The Lancers had their highest finish ever at the SCC Tournament, winning the third place match v. Chaffey. In all, Tchougounova broke the Lancers record for goals in one season and led the state with 105 and scored at a record 55 percent accuracy on attempts. She was named All-SCC First Team and then All-State for her performance. She chose to play just the one season at PCC and eventually earned a scholarship to Concordia University, setting its record for goals in a season with 93 and steals with 32 in 2011. She was also an Academic All-American.

1. Hannah Hogue, 2009-2010: While she didn't play on the best PCC teams, Hogue, a Temple City High grad and the daughter of a PCC math professor, put on a show for Lancers water polo fans. A natural defending the PCC cage, Hogue kept her teams competitive with numerous acrobatic saves on point-blank attempts. In her collegiate debut, Hogue set the Lancers record for most saves in a game with 21 against Palomar and then made 17 more v. Ventura on the same day at the Saddleback Tournament. Hogue backstopped the team's first SCC win with 10 saves in an 8-2 win over El Camino.  In a victory over Rio Hondo, she held the Roadrunners scoreless over three quarters including four steals and three saves and then went into the field and scored three goals in the final quarter. In an 8-3 win over LA Valley at the Citrus Tourney, Hogue totaled 18 saves. She set a PCC single-season record (since broken) of 277 saves and led the Lancers with 59 steals. She made 12 saves in a season-ending, 6-5 victory over El Camino in the fifth place game of the SCC Tournament. Hogue was both an All-SCC First Team choice and a selection on the All-SoCal Team. In 2010, Hogue continued her impressive play but on a Lancers squad that struggled to score goals (just 4.8 per match). The sophomore was brilliant in a loss v. state power Long Beach, making several point-blank blocks. She had a high of 15 saves against Cerritos. Hogue finished her career as PCC's all-time saves leader with 526 and third in steals with 121. Opposing coaches recognized Hogue's abilities by naming her All-American Second Team after a second All-South Coast First Team selection.

Coach Stoddard: "Hannah was more than a goalie; she was a general in charge of our defense. She had an uncanny ability to predict the other team's next move and regularly called a defensive audible for the squad in the field. They could not get the ball inside because she led the team both years in steals out of the cage, taking away the other team's chances for attempts from two-meters."

Note: Most of the photos of the Lancers were taken by long-time photographer Richard Quinton.