Cheung Wins 2 Titles, PCC Women’s Swim Best-Ever 6th At State Meet
Shannon Cheung won the 1,650-yard freestyle title Saturday as she helped the Pasadena City College women's swim team close out the 2014 CCCAA Swimming and Diving State Championships with the Lancers best finish ever at a state meet in sixth place.The meet took place May 1-3 at East Los Angeles College's Swim Stadium.
A day after she won a historic first for PCC women's swim with her victory in the 200 individual medley, Cheung won the mile race as she led from start to finish with a school-record swim of 17:34.25. The sophomore finished more than 20 seconds ahead of the second place finisher–Mor Flaisman of LA Valley College.
Freshman Connie Peng placed herself among the state's best swimmers as she took silver medals in both the 100 backstroke (57.88) and 100 butterfly (58.56). The two second-place performances also broke her own Lancers school records in each event.
Sophomore Arolyn Basham swam to second in the consolation final of the 100 breaststroke and her 1:07.55 was another PCC school record breaker.
Over the three days, the Lancers scored 269 team points and finished two places higher than they accomplished last year (the program's previous best finish at state). The team also was the highest South Coast Conference scorer, defeating SCC champion Mt. San Antonio (seventh, 238 points).
In the last swim of Cheung's career at PCC, she anchored the team's fifth place finish along with Basham, Peng and Tifanny Wong in the 400 freestyle relay (3:39.50).
The Lancers women broke seven school records at the '14 state meet. The squad had smashed six South Coast Conference records at the SCC Championships.
"The past two years have been just an amazing time for our women's swim program," said PCC head coach Terry Stoddard. "The heights we've reached with a whole new slate of school records, the South Coast records, and now Shannon's two state titles, have raised the bar for us among the state's best teams. As a freshman, Connie posts two second-place medals with fast swims we've never seen before in her events. Arolyn was a big part of our relays and is the best breaststroke swimmer we've ever had here. Shannon's accomplishments in her two seasons for us speaks to her greatness in the pool."
Mohammad Esmaeilian insured that the PCC men's team scored/placed for the ninth straight season at state. The freshman and only Lancer men's qualifier swam a 46.93 to place fifth in the consolation final of the 100 freestyle. PCC took 29th place (30 colleges scored at the meet). Golden West won the men's state title and Diablo Valley captured the women's crown.
Robert Lewis, Sports Information
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