Kinyada Johnson, Tai Nuntapramote Named 2008-09 PCC Athletes of the Year

The accolades are part of the annual Elizabeth Jensen scholarship awards, named after the former PCC administrator and coach. Each student-athlete receives a $1,250 award from the division.

Johnson was the Most Valuable Player of the CCCAA Championship Tournament and led the Lancers to the first state team championship in the college's women sports history. A point guard, Johnson finished her PCC career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,091 points.

She is the Lancers career assists leader and is second in steals for a career. Besides helping the team to a 33-4 overall record, Johnson had the distinction of being named MVP of four different tournaments. She was also honored as CCCSIA State Athlete of the Month for March. Johnson (from Hesperia High School) was a two-time, All-South Coast Conference First Team selection and regular season All-State Second Teamer.

Johnson extends a remarkable run by women's basketball players as PCC's top female athlete that started with Dionne Pounds in both 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, then Desiree Butler 2005-2006, Jeanine Deno in 2006-2007, and Faafiti last season. All of those players were guided by Coach Joe Peron.

Nuntapramote, from Thailand, completed his PCC career by winning the state title in the 200-yard butterfly at the CCCAA Championships. His time was second in the nation.

Nuntapramote won three individual titles and was part of three relay wins at the South Coast Conference championship meet. He was named SCC Co-Swimmer of the Year. An All-American in four events (top 16 times in the nation), Nuntapramote started the year with an amazing five individual event wins at the Mt. San Antonio Invitational. That was a PCC first for swimming. He is the second swimmer under Coach Terry Stoddard to be named Men's Athlete of the Year following in the footsteps of Keisuke Yagi for 2007-2008 (shared the honor with football's David Reed).

Capturing the the school's prestigious President's Award was women's basketball sophomore forward Easter Faafiti. That award is presented for sports performance, sportsmanship, and educational achievement.

Faafiti was the PCC 2007-08 Women's Athlete of the Year as a freshman and was selected to both the All-CCCAA Tournament and All-State First Team in '09. Twice named All-State and twice an All-SCC selection, Faafiti recently won a State Farm All-American honorable mention.

Despite being hearing-impaired in both ears, Faafiti perservered to become one of the college's greatest players. Like Johnson, she was a member of two Southern California Bracket champion teams as PCC amassed a 62-10 record in two seasons under Lancers head coach Joe Peron.

Faafiti, who played at Pittsburg High in Northern California before coming to PCC, plans on transferring to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a NCAA Division III college that specializes in education for the hearing-impaired. She will enter the Bisons basketball program as a junior in 2009-2010.

Other PCC athletes considered for the AOY include from the men's side--Malcolm Linton, soccer sophomore sweeper who tallied a school-record 19 assists in helping the Lancers advance to the third round of the playoffs, and Corey Caston, PCC's career assists and steals leader in his sophomore season as point guard on a 20-win basketball team.

For the women, sophomore volleyball player Candice Price, an All-Southern California Regional selection, freshman Marissa Rangel, an All-SCC selection in both volleyball and softball, Melissa Fudge, the soccer team's leading scorer and a reserve defensive-minded guard for the state champion women's basketball team, and freshman Priscilla Lun, the SCC badminton champion in both singles and doubles, all received AOY consideration along with Faafiti.

In another category, the KH&A Division granted PCC student photographer Richard Quinton the Student Assistant Service Award ($750) for his work in shooting numerous athletic events. Quinton has worked the past few years as a student sports photographer for PCC Public Relations, supplying the athletics website all of its photos.