CAPAS, Tarlac – ATENEO de Manila University etched another milestone in UAAP swimming as the Blue Eagles clinched their ninth consecutive men’s division championship and reclaimed the women’s title after five years at the state-of-the-art New Clark City Aquatics Center here.
These victories further solidify Ateneo’s dominance in collegiate swimming, winning its 10th overall title in the men’s division and seventh in the distaff’s side.
The two championships were secured in contrasting fashion: the men’s team triumphed with commanding ease, while the women’s team had to fend off a spirited challenge from defending champion University of the Philippines until the final event.
A Commanding Performance
Ateneo’s men’s team dominated the four-day meet, securing 19 out of 22 gold medals and amassing a staggering 493 points. Their closest rival, De La Salle University, settled for second place with 321 points, followed by UP (226 points) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) (170 points).
Day 4 saw the Blue Eagles claim five golds and two bronze medals. The sole event they missed was the 200-meter breaststroke, where UP’s Geoffrey Liberato edged out La Salle’s Earl Jay Jayme for gold, clocking in at 2:22.64.
The day belonged to Ateneo’s standout rookies.
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Miguel Barreto delivered a flawless campaign, winning his seventh gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle and earning both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors with a perfect 105 points.
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Meanwhile, fellow rookie Ivo Enot showcased his talent with two gold medals on the final day. Enot clocked 27.19 seconds in the 50-meter backstroke and followed up with a 24.06-second finish in the 50-meter freestyle.
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Other notable performances included Juan Marco Daos, who claimed his first gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 2:10.39, and the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay team, composed of Enot, Charles Ticbaen, Rafael Barreto, and Rian Marco Tirol.
The relay team shattered the UAAP record with a time of 3:52.73, surpassing UP’s previous mark by nearly four seconds.
A Gritty Comeback
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In the women’s division, Ateneo faced stiff competition from UP and La Salle.
The Blue Eagles lagged behind early but surged ahead on Day 3, entering the final day with a narrow 25-point lead.
UP mounted a fierce challenge, cutting the gap to just eight points before the last event.
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UP’s rookie MVP from Season 86, Quendy Fernandez, gave her team an early boost on Day 4 with a dominant win in the 50-meter backstroke, reducing Ateneo’s lead to 11 points.
Fernandez clocked in at 30.18 seconds, almost a full second ahead of Ateneo’s captain, Samantha Coronel (31.03 seconds), to immediately slash the lead to 11 points.
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Ateneo responded with Sofia Isip’s gold in the 200-meter breaststroke, restoring a 37-point cushion.
Isip negotiated the distance in 2:42.60. Tigersharks duo Shairinne Floriano (2:43.39), an MVP contender, and Beatrize Mabalay (2:44.92) shared the podium with Isip. This brought the Blue Eagles’ lead back up to 37 points.
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The Fighting Maroons slowly worked the lead once more in the women’s 200-meter butterfly as their captain Camille Buico raced to a 2:22.91 finish, outswimming Floriano (2:23.38) and Ateneo’s Mishka Sy (2:24.22) for the gold.
After the event, Ateneo’s lead was down to 33 points.
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Floriano and Sy also settled the MVP race in this event with Sy finally snagging the MVP award despite losing to Floriano. Last season, Sy lost the MVP and Rookie of the Year race to Fernandez by a mere three points.
Across the four days, Sy accounted for two golds, four silvers and a bronze medal totaling 88 points compared to Floriano’s 80.
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Green Tanker Mikaela Talosig brought home the Rookie of the Year award after winning three golds and two bronze medals.
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UST’s Alyza Ng spoiled the fierce battle between Ateneo and UP by ruling the women’s 50-meter freestyle in 27.17 seconds. Still, UP scored big in the event as Buico brought home the silver in 27.48 seconds and Atasha Dela Torre took the bronze in 27.52 seconds.
The championship was decided in the final event, the women’s 4×100-meter medley relay.
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Ateneo’s team of Samantha Coronel, Isip, Sam Andrei Doragos, and Kirsten Manuel delivered under pressure, clocking a record-breaking 4:29.94 to secure the gold. UP finished third in the relay, sealing Ateneo’s 13-point overall victory.
Future Goals
Ateneo swimming program director Archie Lim credited the team’s success to their perseverance and championship tradition.
“’Yung biggest challenge is keeping them motivated and [having] the desire to actually perform,” Lim said after the tournament which was supported by Nike Swim, CFMoto, and Masiv. “We reminded them that breaking records and winning golds bring honor to the school and the team.”
Lim admitted that while the men’s victory was anticipated, the women’s triumph came as a surprise.
“Honestly, coming in, medyo unexpected. We weren’t even contenders based on last year. We lost key players. Ang naging challenge is how do we motivate them [despite] akala namin walang chance,” he shared.
The seniors’ determination to leave a lasting legacy inspired the entire squad.
“Marami kaming seniors, and nag rub-off na it’s their last year. Everyone shared that desire to perform well. Luckily, for some reason, we won the championship,” Lim expressed.
As the reigning champions in both divisions, Ateneo will face heightened competition next season. UP, La Salle, and UST are all poised to mount stronger challenges in their bid to dethrone the Blue Eagles.
