Returning state champion Keisuke Yagi continued to set the South Coast Conference on fire, leading the PCC men’s swim team to victory over El Camino College (0-3) on Friday, 70-57.While the win was the first of the year for the Lancers, bringing their record to 1-2, winning is nothing new to Yagi. He remains undefeated in 2008 as he claimed victory in the 200 yard freestyle, the 200 butterfly and the 500 freestyle against El Camino and has established himself as a highly sought after national recruit. While Yagi continued his dominance, the men’s team had many other standout performances.
PCC had four men win three individual events for the first time this year. Freshman Tai Nuntapramote won the 50, 100 and the 1000-yard freestyle events, freshman Alan Clemente won the 100-yard butterfly along with the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events, and sophomore David Irvine took honors in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke as well as in the 200-yard individual medley.
Head coach Terry Stoddard said, “[Irvine is] really the story of this meet. David winning us the victory against El Camino, no doubt.”
The women’s team was not as fortunate as the men’s team, narrowly losing the meet, 64-57 (0-3). Sophomore Malia Garcia continued to shine, however, winning the 50 and 100-yard butterfly events as well as the 500-yard freestyle and freshman Arineh Danelian won the 100-yard individual medley along with the 50 and 100-yard backstroke. Despite the split, the team morale remained high.
Assistant Coach Dan Halladay said, “When you come out to a meet, you’ll see the guys out there screaming there heads off for the girls and vice versa.Win, lose or draw we’re still a team.”
Addressing students who may be interested in trying out for the team next year, Halladay said, “I think a lot of community colleges have a problem recruiting and getting women out specifically. The main thing they should understand is that there’s not a certain standard. You don’t have to be great to be a part of the program, to contribute to the program.”
But Stoddard warns, “We work hard. We’re dedicated to our routine and because of that, we get results.
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