Men’s Swimming & Diving: LBCC second at SCC Championships, Denison named Co-Swimmer of the Year

Long Beach City College freshman Mark Denison was named the South Coast Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year after an amazing performance at the SCC Championship finals over the weekend. Denison won three events and was a member of three first-place relay teams to help lead the Vikings to 529 team points and a second-place overall finish.

The Long Beach men totaled 18 top-three finishes as the Vikings took first place in a total of 11 events.

Denison's 60 individual points tied for the most at the meet. He took first in the 50-yard freestyle (21.74), 200-yard freestyle (1:44.44), and 100-yard freestyle (46.92).

Denison also anchored four relay teams that earned three first-place finishes as well as a second-place showing. The 400 freestyle relay team of Conor Shuey, Frankie Cervantes, Ryan Dionne, and Dennison swam 3:35.81 for first. Also taking first were the 200 medley relay team of Aaron Mowl, Shuey, Dionne, and Dennison (1:37.11) and the 200 freestyle relay team of Jack Larson, Cervantes, Dionne, and Denison (1:28.46). Also taking first place was the 400 medley relay team of Mowl, Shuey, Dionne, and Larson (3:35.81) and finishing second was the 800 freestyle relay squad of Shuey, Mowl, Cervantes, and Denison (7:15.23).

Shuey had a historic weekend for the Vikings as swam 2:08.09 in the 200-yard breaststroke to set a new LBCC school record. Shuey also won the 100 breaststroke at 59.37 and finished second in the 500 freestyle at 4:46.03.

Dionne also took gold in two events as he took first place in both the 100-yard butterfly (51.21) and 200 butterfly (1:58.20). Dionne added a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.16.

Up next for the LBCC men is the 2016 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Swimming & Diving State Championship on May 5-7 at East Los Angeles College. Qualifiers for the event will be announced later this week.