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In the final day of the 78th UAAP Swimming Championship, the Ateneo de Manila University achieved what they set out to do – defend their crowns in both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions.
The Ateneo Blue Tankers continued piling up the points and medals in the final day of competition as they collected six gold medals to sweep all events. Four of these gold medals were done in UAAP record time. They also added two silver medals and a bronze medal to their total haul for the day. De La Salle University followed Ateneo with their three silver medals and two bronze medals. University of the Philippines had one silver and bronze medal each, while the University of Santo Tomas ended up with two bronze medals.
Kicking it off for Ateneo was Aldo Batungbacal who swam the 1500m Freestyle event aiming for the gold but expecting nothing more. To his surprise, after touching first at 16:49.89, he was able to break the oldest standing UAAP record in the books. The 26-year-old mark of 16:55.53, established by Cesario Palacios of National University in 1989, was finally broken. Ateneo rookie Eman Dapat caught up with UST’s Jux Solita to finish second in 17:06.86 while Solita settled for the bronze medal in 17:14.27.
Axel Ngui of Ateneo then shattered not just the UAAP mark in the 50m Backstroke, but also the Philippine record by registering a time of 26.57 seconds. DLSU rookie Neil Puyo settled for silver with his 27.51 second time, and UP’s Christen Mercado managed to sneak in at third in 28.21 seconds.
The 200m Breaststroke event was again an all-Ateneo affair as Carlo Silva (2:23.03), Aldo Batungbacal (2:25.36) and Paolo Mutuc (2:26.21) crowded the podium. Silva managed to complete his Breaststroke romp by establishing a new UAAP record in this event. He now has the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke records under his name.
To complete his seven events, Jessie Lacuna of Ateneo swam in the 200m Butterfly and won gold in 2:06.31. DLSU’s Puyo was a far second at 2:12.78 while UST’s Solita was third at 2:14.75. Lacuna complete his seven events with seven gold medals and four new UAAP records, en route to his second straight Most Valuable Player prize.
Ateneo’s Ngui returned to the pool for the 50m Freestyle, breaking yet another record as he also swept his competition with a 23.23 second finish and a new UAAP record, his fifth for the four-day meet. DLSU completed the podium with Red Silvestre touching in at 24.18 seconds while rookie Alfonso Bautista took the bronze in 24.21 seconds.
It still wasn’t over for the Blue Tankers, though, as they also fielded in a star-studded team in the 400m Medley of Jeric Santos, Carlo Silva, Gio Palencia, and Justin Sy. They dominated the competition, clocking in at 4:06.07 and establishing a new UAAP record. UP’s Enzo Abanilla, Jerem Esguerra, Lans Donato, and Alfred Rojo came next at 4:09.92, while DLSU’s Jose Santos, Ambrose Agustin, Baron Ong, and Troy Espiritu rounded out the podium in 4:20.55.
By collecting one gold medal, three silver medals, and two bronze medals, DLSU’s Neil Puyo won the Rookie of the Year award. His closest rival, Ateneo’s Eman Dapat, only managed 52 points, 19 points away from Puyo’s 71. The Best Coach award was given to Sherwin Dela Paz of Ateneo for winning the back to back UAAP Championships and the third overall for the Ateneo Men’s Swimming Team.
In a starkly contrasting story, the Ateneo Lady Tankers managed to weather a charging UP Fighting Maroons storm. They amassed a total of two gold medals, one of them in record time, and three bronze medals. However, UP would also claim two gold medals on top of a silver and a bronze medal. DLSU also snared one gold medal and three silver medals, while UST collected one bronze medal.
Entering the final day, Ateneo had a 32 point lead over rival UP. In the first event of the day, UP’s Mikee Bartolome started strong with her time of 31.15 seconds in the 50m Backstroke to win the gold medal. DLSU rookie Catherine Bondad took the silver in 31.30 seconds while Ateneo’s Ariana Herranz was third at 31.58 seconds. The Fighting Maroons trimmed the lead down to 20 points.
The next event, the 200m Breaststroke, was an event UP dominated as they had four swimmers qualifying for the event against Ateneo’s two. Luckily for Ateneo, the gold medal would be won by DLSU’s Ingrid Ilustre in 2:48.54. UP completed the podium with Joy Rodgers touching next in 2:51.42 followed by rookie Pricila Aquino in 2:52.30. But UP still turned things around after the event, then leading by three points.
UP knew, however, that they could not celebrate the 3 point lead as Ateneo’s Hannah Dato still had two events left. In the 200m Butterfly, Dato would dominate to win the gold in 2:23.21. DLSU’s Ilustre collected the silver medal in 2:29.76 to conclude her UAAP swimming career. Ateneo rookie Romina Gavino touched third with her time of 2:31.46. Ilustre bid farewell to the UAAP scene with a total of one gold medal, two silver medals, and a bronze medal. After this event, Ateneo reclaimed the lead, bringing it up to 14 points.
With the 78th UAAP Women’s Swimming Championship on the line, the second to the last event of the day, the 50m Freestyle, was crucial as four UP swimmers were able to qualify against Ateneo’s three. Dato, however, was a sure cinch for the gold. All the rest was an even playing field where anything could happen. Dato, who set the new UAAP mark in the morning preliminaries with a time of 26.40 seconds, landed first in 26.62 seconds. UP rookie Nadine Tee Ten was second in 27.61 seconds, while Ateneo rookie Shaye Uy came third with 28.01 seconds. As things unfolded, Ateneo increased their lead to 16 points, virtually sealing their back-to-back championship along the way.
The final event, 400m Medley Relay, would be a mere formality as UP could only bring the lead down to 1 point at best. They went on to win the event with Mikee Bartolome, Joy Rodgers, Kyla Mabus, and Ariana Canaya ruling the competition with a 4:41.30 time. DLSU’s Cathy Bondad, Aya Panganiban, Glycel So, and Aya Carandang took the silver medal in 4:50.87 while UST’s Danica Locsin, Samantha Cambronero, Celyn Parco, and Isabelle Gubat took the bronze medal in 4:52.59.
Ateneo’s Dato won the Most Valuable Player award, securing seven gold medals and three new UAAP records. Teammate Romina Gavino won the Rookie of the Year award, collecting three silver medals, two bronze medals, and a total of 66 points. UP’s Nadine Tee Ten was a close runner-up with 60 points, while two other UP rookies, Pricila Aquino and Kayla Taguibao, had 52 points each. For thwarting a mad UP charge on their way to a back-to-back Championship, Ateneo coach Candice Esguerra was awarded Best Coach.
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[nextpage title = “Day 4 Awarding and Points”]
Event 65 Men’s 50 Meter Back
GOLD – Ngui, Axel Toni Steven (ADMU) 26.57R NEW UAAP RECORD
SILVER – Puyo, Arian Neil (DLSU) 27.51 12.0
BRONZE – Mercado, Christen (UP) 28.21 10.0
Event 66 Women’s 50 Meter Back
GOLD – Bartolome, Anna Dominique (UP) 31.15
SILVER – Bondad, Catherine (DLSU) 31.30
BRONZE – Herranz, Ariana (ADMU) 31.58
Event 69 Men’s 200 Meter Breast
GOLD – Silva, Gian Carlo (ADMU) 2:23.03R NEW UAAP RECORD
SILVER – Batungbacal, Alberto (ADMU) 2:25.36
BRONZE – Mutuc, Paolo Gabriel (ADMU) 2:26.21
Event 70 Women’s 200 Meter Breast
GOLD – Ilustre, Sabrina Ingrid (DLSU) 2:48.54
SILVER – Rodgers, Joy (UP) 2:51.42
BRONZE – Aquino, Pricilla Loren (UP) 2:52.30
Event 73 Men’s 200 Meter Fly
GOLD – Lacuna, Jessie Khing (ADMU) 2:06.31
SILVER – Puyo, Arian Neil (DLSU) 2:12.78
BRONZE – Solita, Jux (UST) 2:14.75
Event 74 Women’s 200 Meter Fly
GOLD – Dato, Hannah (ADMU) 2:23.21
SILVER – Ilustre, Sabrina Ingrid (DLSU) 2:29.76
BRONZE – Gavino, Romina Rafaelle (ADMU) 2:31.46
Event 77 Men’s 50 Meter Free
GOLD – Ngui, Axel Toni Steven (ADMU) 23.23R NEW UAAP RECORD
SILVER – Silvestre, Leon Red (DLSU) 24.18
BRONZE – Bautista, Alfonso Jose (DLSU) 24.21
Event 78 Women’s 50 Meter Free
GOLD – Dato, Hannah (ADMU) 26.62
SILVER – Tee Ten, Winona Nadine (UP) 27.61
BRONZE – UY, Shaye Chantal (ADMU) 28.01
Event 81 Men’s 1500 Meter Free
GOLD – Batungbacal, Alberto (ADMU) 16:49.89R NEW UAAP RECORD!!!
SILVER – Dapat, Eman Nuellito (ADMU) 17:06.86
BRONZE – Solita, Jux (UST) 17:14.27
Event 83 Men’s 400 Meter Medley Relay
GOLD – Santos, Jan Jeric, Silva, Gian Carlo, Palencia, Jose Gio Fidel, & Sy, Justin Vito (ADMU) 4:06.07R NEW UAAP RECORD
SILVER – Abanilla, Lorenzo, Esguerra, Jeremiah Andrew, Donato, Lans Rawlin, & Rojo, Alfred Valentin (UP) 4:09.92
BRONZE – Santos, Jose Maria, Agustin, Ambrose RaymunD, Ong, Baron Joaquin, & Espiritu, Troy Jordan (DLSU) 4:17.32
Event 84 Women’s 400 Meter Medley Relay
GOLD – Bartolome, Anna Dominique, Rodgers, Joy, Mabus, Kyla Isabella, & Canaya, Ariana Mikaela (UP) 4:41.30
SILVER – Bondad, Catherine, Panginiban, Maria Noelle, So, Glycel Marie, & Carandang, Mariel Andrea (DLSU) 4:50.87
BRONZE – Locsin, Danica Claudia, Cambronero, Samantha Janne, Parco, Celyn, & Gubat, Isabelle (UST) 4:52.59
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
| Men’s Division | Women’s Division | ||
| 1. Ateneo de Manila University | 563 points | 1. Ateneo de Manila University | 428 points |
| 2. De La Salle University | 286 | 2. University of the Philippines | 419 |
| 3. University of the Philippines | 199 | 3. De La Salle University | 177 |
| 4. University of Santo Tomas | 120 | 4. University of Santo Tomas | 113 |
| 5. National University | 73 | 5. University of the East | 28 |
| 6. University of the East 7. Adamson University | 16 12 | 6. National University, Adamson University | 0 |
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