Two-Sport Star Givens, Baseball’s Quire Named ’15-16 PCC Athletes of the Year

 

School record-setting, two-sport women’s performer Ariahn Givens and baseball player Joe Quire were selected as the 2015-16 Pasadena City College Athletes of the Year.

The selections made by PCC Athletics are part of the annual, season-ending Elizabeth Jensen Scholarships as well as a few other scholarships designated for acceptance by Lancers student-athletes. Jensen, a member of the college’s Dick Ratliff Court of Champions, spent nearly 40 years as a women’s athletic director at Pasadena Junior College and later PCC.

In a strong season for PCC female athletes, Givens was the cream of the crop with her combined peformances in swimming in the spring and water polo in the fall of 2015 to be chosen as PCC Women’s AOTY. In water polo, Givens was picked to the All-South Coast Conference First Team after setting PCC’s single-season (147) and career record for steals (273) as well as leading the Lancers in goals with 60.

In swimming, the talented Givens (Venice High, Los Angeles) broke the school record in the 50-yard freestyle (24.48) and swam the second fastest time in the 100 freestyle (52.83) as she was named South Coast Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive season. As a freshman, Givens snapped the school record in the 200 freestyle. She scored the silver medal at the CCCAA State Championships in the 100 freestyle and added medals in the 50 (fourth) and 200 (sixth).

In her two years at PCC, she helped the Lancers win 15 consecutive conference dual meets (15-1 overall, dual SCC title in 2015) as well as participate on the Lancers highest school finish ever at the state meet, fifth place in ’15. Head Coach Terry Stoddard said that she is the “greatest women’s freestyle swimmer in school history.” In water polo, she was a major factor in PCC finishing a strong 14-12 overall while her shot-blocking and defensive tenacity allowed the Lancers to their best defensive season ever at allowing only 7.24 goals per game. Givens is the first water polo player to win the college’s AOTY award.

Quire, a two-year letterman and starting first baseman, had the right stuff to be named PCC Men’s Athlete of the Year. The left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing Quire (from Bonita High, La Verne) earned All-SCC First Team honors after leading the conference in slugging percentage (.614 in conference games). He batted .400 in SCC play. Overall, he hit .356, leading the team in doubles (10) and walks (20) while adding three triples, a home run and 23 RBI. His .469 on-base percentage and .517 slugging percentage also topped the Lancers. Quire has committed to Azusa Pacific University.

He put on a show in his final PCC game when he hit two triples and a double against East Los Angeles. Quire had an impressive six games in which he collected three or more hits. He had heroic game-winning RBI hits in victories over both El Camino and Mt. San Antonio. On defense, he led qualified infielders with a .980 fielding percentage while posting a team-high 231 putouts. Quire played for head coach Pat McGee.

The President’s Award, presented to the student-athlete that combines successful playing performance with classroom excellence and sportsmanship, goes to women’s basketball star Judith Espinoza. The point guard was named All-State Third Team as well as All-SCC First Team for the second straight season. She tied a PCC playoff record for most points with 35 in leading a 14th-seeded Lancers team to an upset over No. 3 seed Ventura.

Espinoza (from Eagle Rock High) finished as the school’s seventh all-time leading scorer with 910 career points and second all-time in assists with 346 in her two seasons. As a freshman, she set school records for highest assist average per game and most assists in a game as she was second in the state in that category. In the classroom, Espinoza posted an exceptional 3.57 collective grade point average. She played for head coach Joe Peron.

This year, the AOTY pair and President’s Award are $1,500 awards for the recipients.

The High GPA Award for women’s performers and the best among all PCC student-athletes goes to women’s badminton player Sandra Maw with a 3.86 GPA in 106 units completed. As a freshman, Maw (from Arcadia High) was a member of PCC’s first state doubles champion team. She helped this year’s Lancers to their second consecutive undefeated SCC title as the team’s No. 2 singles player. Maw played for head coach Jen Ho.

The High GPA Award for men’s sports went to PCC baseball outfielder Anthony Rabito, who earned a 3.40 mark in 90 units taken at the college. Rabito (from Ayala High, Chino Hills) was also strong on the field as the two-year starting rightfielder batted .283 with a home run, eight doubles and 18 RBI in his sophomore season.

The following student-athletes are two-year sophomores who will receive transfer scholarships:

Rebecca Tzou (women’s badminton, 3.49 GPA, Gorman Learning Center, Redlands), in an outstanding season for PCC women’s athletes, won the CCCAA state singles title. She helped the Lancers capture the SoCal team championship and finish state runner-up for the first time since 2010. She went a perfect 33-0 in singles play in ’16. Last year, she was state doubles champ with Maw. Tzou is the only PCC badminton player to win both titles in her Lancers career.

Rachel Schroeder (women’s soccer, 3.36 GPA, Arcadia HS) was an All-SCC First Team selection as the sophomore midfielder scored five goals and added two assists. The two-year starter was PCC’s leading scorer as a freshman with 13 points, including a team-high five goals. She was coached by Reggie Rivas.

Lahiz Longobardi (women’s volleyball, 3.21 GPA, CENSA, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) appeared in only 14 matches due to injuries, but was named All-SCC Second Team as she averaged 1.8 kills, 1.5 digs, and .83 blocks per set. She helped the Lancers make it into the SoCal Playoffs at 14-9. As a freshman in ’15, the two-year starter led the Lancers in most statistical categories as the only PCC player to make the All-SCC Team.

Holly Riker-Sloan (women’s softball, 3.13 GPA, Gahr High, Cerritos) will go down as another great athlete from the 2015 and ’16 seasons. The two-year starting catcher finishes as PCC’s all-time home runs leader and she was honored by the CCCAA with the 3CFA Achievement Award in March for her success against adversity. Riker-Sloan earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester despite extended hospital visits for IV treatments due to a kidney condition. On the field in two seasons, she collected 67 RBI, 13 doubles, 11 home runs and earned All-Southern California Team honors as a freshman. Riker-Sloan was coached by Monica Tantlinger.

The mentioned award winners receive $1,000 scholarships. Additional $625 Jensen transfer/assistance scholarships for two-year Lancer sophomores with at least a 2.7 GPA go to:

1. Derek Blow (softball, 2.8 GPA, Monrovia High), who was named All-SCC Second Team after leading the Lancers in home runs (five), RBI (34) and slugging percentage (.533). She batted .327 overall (.362 in conference games). Blow played mostly right field for PCC as a two-year starter. She batted .349 with 25 RBI as a freshman.
2. Michelle Morales (women’s soccer, 2.8 GPA, Burbank High), who played as a two-year starter and All-SCC First Team selection this season. Morales was the Lancers top defender as a center back.
3. Liza Echeverria (women’s swimming, 2.9 GPA, South Pasadena High), who won three events at the conference championships to be named Co-Swimmer of the Year in the SCC. She set a school record in the 200-yard breaststroke and is also PCC’s record holder in the 400 individual medley, set as a freshman.
4. Justin Cage (baseball, 2.8 GPA, Glendora HS) hit .319 with eight doubles and 17 RBI in his second year as the Lancers starting catcher. With a strong right arm, he gunned out more runners over his two seasons than any other conference catcher with 31 caught stealings.

Football player Jalyn Williams received the Horrell Scholarship for outstanding athletic achievement and sportsmanship. The Horrell award is named after the Horrell brothers, who excelled in athletics at Pasadena High School (part of then the campus of Pasadena Junior College) and had the program’s old football stadium named in their honor–Horrell Field. Williams, from Cathedral High in Los Angeles, was a two-year starter at linebacker. He led the Lancers in tackles in both of his seasons, including 105 in 2015, and was named All-SCFA Second Team for the second straight year. He excelled in the classroom with a 3.14 combined GPA.

Football defensive back Evan Alexander (Etiwanda High, 3.14 GPA) earned the Thomas O. Mallory scholarship. The Mallory scholarship is named after the former PCC football coach (coached 20th century sports legend Jackie Robinson) and athletic director who also is a member of PCC’s prestigious Court of Champions. Alexander made a team-high three interceptions and added 40 tackles as a stalwart in the team’s secondary. He also played on PCC’s 2013 team and came back this year after taking a medical redshirt in ’14.

Football two-way lineman Freddie Barnes picked up the James P. O’Mara scholarship. The award is specific to a PCC athlete who excelled after also attending Pasadena High. Barnes was selected All-SCFA Second Team and played valiantly as full-time offensive lineman and a defensive nose guard for the ’15 Lancers. The two-year starter earned a 2.68 GPA.

Women’s basketball player Gwenaelle Gouloba (Lycee Elisa Lemonnier/Paris, France, 3.12 GPA) is an inaugural recipient of the Tiana Sanders #24 Scholarship. The award is named after the PCC Hall of Fame and CCC Basketball Hall of Fame alumna. An international student, Gouloba was a two-year letterman and post player for the Lancers.