PJ Gabayeron won three individual state titles in the 100-breaststroke, 200-breaststroke and the individual medially and broke school records in the process at the California state championship swim meet held last weekend.

His record breaking times were 56.69 seconds in the 100-breaststroke, 2 min 1.96 seconds in the 200-breaststroke and 1 minute 52.33 seconds in the 200-IM.

“I thought I could have done better with my times, but I guess I will have to wait until next year,” he said.

Overall for the Cerritos College men’s swimming team it won the South Coast Conference tournament held the prior weekend and qualified five swimmers for the state meet.

“The team had a lot of depth this season,” Head coach Joe Abing said. Each team can bring 18 swimmers to compete and 1 though 18 the team was very good.”

At the beginning of the season Gabayeron felt like he had a lot to prove because of the lackluster end to his high school career.

“I thought I was done after my junior year in high school, I thought that was my peak,” he said, “but now I see I have a am still improving.”

Although he feels swimming is his best sport he it is not his favorite.

“Water polo is my favorite because it is more of a team sport and I really enjoy being part of a team,” he said.

Even with the school records and state titles in his pocket Gabayeron stays grounded and said that he doesn’t rub that in anyone face.

“Well I mean if I have a friend on another team I will talk a little trash, but that’s just a friendly kind of thing, I don’t mean anything by it,” he said.

With the swim season over most swimmers now focus on water polo, which starts in September.

Abing said, “Most of the swimmers are water polo players so they are getting started with that and a lot of the guys that are swimmers only still get in the pool for some water polo if for nothing else just to get a break from the long swim season.”

While the swimmers focus on water polo the coaches focus on recruiting swimmers and water polo players for the upcoming season.

“The two divers the team had are sophomores so we will have to find replacements for them,” Abing said.

He explained the recruiting process saying that there are many ways he goes about such as going to meets, calling recruits, sending email and talking to high school coaches.

“Until a recruit steps foot on campus the for his first day of school, I am recruiting him because you never know what is going to happen before then,” he said.