PACIFIC COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE / MAR. 20, 2017
G-House swimmer Birdsong takes Men's AOTW award
Grossmont College swimmer Nicco Birdsong is the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Men's Athlete of the Week for March 13-19.
Birdsong a sophomore from Valhalla High School, led the Griffins to a 136-103 conference victory over Palomar.
He won all 3 of his individual events with in-season best times – the 50 freestyle in 22.65 seconds, the 100 freestyle in 21.80 and the 100 butterfly in 56.00 seconds.
Birdsong also took a body-length lead on the butterfly leg of the first-place medley relay team as the Griffins placed 1-2 in the event to get off to a fast start in the meet.
Honorable mention selections were Palomar baseball player Grant Buck, San Diego Mesa baseball player Lewis Butler and Grossmont baseball pitcher Donovan McCrystal.
Buck, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound first baseman from Carlsbad High School who signed early with NCAA Division I Houston Baptist University, went 8-for-12 as the Comets swept 3 games from San Diego City College to advance to 16-6 on the season. Buck went 3-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs as the Comets won 8-3, was 3-for-4 and walked as Palomar won again 10-5 and was 2-for-3 with an RBI and 2 walks as the Comets also took the final game of the series 9-3.
Butler, a freshman infielder from Hoover High School, went 3-for-4 with an RBI as the Olympians defeated Los Angeles Pierce 5-4 in their only game of the week to run their winning streak to 7 games. He raised his batting average to .327.
McCrystal, a sophomore right-hander out of West Hills High School who was a first-team All-PCAC selection last season as a freshman and signed early with UNLV, pitched 6 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits, striking out 9 and walking 1, as the Griffins remained 1 game ahead of second-place Palomar 3 weeks into the conference season by defeating Imperial Valley 11-1, sweeping a 3-game series.