PCSC Athletes of the Week: October 30
The Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference announced its Athletes of the Week for the week of Oct. 23-29 on Tuesday. The conference named Biola's Raymond Kam and Lisa Tixier as its NAIA Athletes of the Week, while Tenny Chong and Rachel Taylor swept the Division II honors for UC San Diego.
NAIA Men
Raymond Kam, Biola: Kam took home five top-three finishes during a weekend in Oakland competing in dual-meet action against the College of Idaho and at the Bay Area Invitational. The sophomore won the 100 breaststroke, finished third in the 200 IM and helped guide the 200 medley relay to a runner-up finish against the Coyotes on Friday.
Saturday, Kam won the 200 breaststroke and claimed a second-place finish in the 200 fly, while helping the 400 medley relay team to a runner-up showing at the Bay Area Invite.
NAIA Women
Lisa Tixier, Biola: Senior Lisa Tixier claimed five victories in eight events during a weekend trip to Oakland. On Friday in dual meet action against Mills, College of Idaho and Cal State East Bay, Tixier won both the 50 freestyle and the 500 free, including a half-second victory over the conference rival Pioneers in the 50. Tixier also helped guide the Eagles 200 medley relay team to a 0.12-second win.
At the Bay Area Invitational on Saturday, Tixier continued her success with victories in the 100 and 200 butterfly, as well as top-three finishes in the 100 backstroke and 200 breaststroke.
Division II Men
Tenny Chong, UC San Diego: Chong led No. 7 UC San Diego to a 148-135 home win over Division III No. 14 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in its season opener on Saturday afternoon. He swept the backstroke distances, falling 0.68 seconds shy of a B cut in the 200, and also swam on both winning relays. Chong anchored the meet-opening 200 medley relay and led off the fastest 200 free relay to cap his college debut in style with a split of 20.85, a mere .04 seconds off a B standard.
Division II Women
Rachel Taylor, UC San Diego: Taylor led No. 10 UC San Diego to an easy 175-114 home victory over Division III No. 16 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in its season opener on Saturday afternoon. She produced a pair of individual wins, posting one of two NCAA consideration qualifiers by a Triton on the day in the 200 breast, and also hitting the wall first in the 200 IM. She was second in the 100 breast behind senior All-American teammate Angie Phetbenjakul.
The PCSC includes institutions from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). All three divisions of the NCAA are represented. Each week, the PCSC coaches nominate and vote on the Athletes of the Week in seven categories: NCAA Division I women, Division II men and women, Division III men and women and NAIA men and women. You can find the Athlete of the Week archive here.
