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With the help of a couple of star freshman swimmers, the Lancers earned three wins and a loss in their first meet of the season held at Pasadena City College (PCC) on Friday.

The men’s team dominated the double dual meet with Cerritos College and LA Trade Tech College, securing wins over both schools. The Lancers maintained their South Coast Conference (SCC) winning streak, which now stands at 15 and dates back to 2017.

The women’s team emerged with a their first win of the season against LA Trade Tech and a loss at the hands of Cerritos, leaving the Women’s team with three losses and a win for the season.

“I really like the way we competed,” said head swim coach Terry Stoddard. “We stepped up and won.”

Stoddard regarded the meet as a net victory for the swim program despite of the women’s loss against Cerritos.

Michael Humphrey, a freshman business major, was injured just minutes before the meet was set to begin.

“I sustained a concussion during warm-ups,” stated Humphrey. Improper setup of the pool resulted in Humphrey colliding with a wall while swimming backstroke. Despite the injury, Humphrey assured that he would be back in the water before the next meet, “without a doubt.”

Michael Watkins / Courier
Brayan Basabe of Pasadena City College competes in the Men’s 100 yard Breaststroke during the SCC Double Dual at home on Friday, March 22, 2018.

Even the last-minute removal of the men’s team’s best butterflier couldn’t stop the Lancers. The men’s team secured victories in nine of their 14 events.

Among the Lancers’ victories, three can be attributed to freshman Harrison Tin, an electrical engineering major at PCC.

Tin let his competitors know that he was there to win right from the start as he swam breaststroke in the 200 yard medley relay, where he gained a significant lead over Cerritos. The four-person relay finished over 3.5 seconds in front of the second place team from Cerritos.

Tin finished strong in the 100 yard freestyle where he secured a win by over two seconds.

Always striving to improve, Tin stated, “I need to work on the first 50 [yards].”

Tin, who is from Macau, China, hopes to transfer to UCLA.

“Their swim team is amazing,” said Tin. With the personal records that he holds, Tin will have no problem securing a spot on their team.

Another swimmer who will easily make her way on to an elite swim team is freshman Carmen Ung, a natural sciences major at PCC. With three victories, Ung was the only woman on PCC’s team to win an event.

In the 100 yard breaststroke — her first individual event — Ung blew her competition out of the water with nearly 26 seconds to spare, finishing just a second slower than the PCC record she set at last week’s meet. Despite her dramatic victory, Ung felt that she could still improve.

“I didn’t have the right mindset,” said Ung regarding her absurd win against her Cerritos opponent.

Michael Watkins / Courier
Wiliam Loo of Pasadena City College competes in the Men’s 1000 yard freestyle during the SCC Double Dual at home on Friday, March 22, 2018.

Ung said that a difficult week leading up to the meet contributed to her not breaking her previous record, but that it didn’t bother her.

“I think I did well overall despite feeling tired from training this week,” said Ung.

Ung went on to win her two remaining events — the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard freestyle — stating, “I’m satisfied [with my performance].”

Ung hopes to transfer to NYU — where she will major in nursing — and join their swim team.

The Lancers will face off against East Los Angeles College and Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) at PCC next week. The meet is the first since the Lancers disrupted Mt. SAC’s 45-meet winning streak at the end of last season.

“It’s going to take us being at our very very best [to beat Mt. SAC],” said Stoddard.

With Tin and Ung in the water, Mt. SAC has their work cut out for them.

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