By: Portia Doragos
CAPAS, Tarlac — Ateneo rookies Ivo Enot and Francis Greg Espiritu have quickly made their mark in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Swimming Championships at the New Clark City Aquatics Center here, emerging as standout performers on the third day of the competition.
Hailing from Davao, both have shown they are ready to take on the best in Philippine collegiate swimming.
Enot, a freshman backstroker, has continued to impress with his stellar performances.
The 18-year-old Davao native dominated both the 200-meter and 100-meter backstroke, setting a new meet record in the latter event twice—first in the preliminaries and again in the finals.
Enot also helped his Ateneo team break the 4×50-meter medley relay record, solidifying his place as one of the meet’s top rookies.
“So far, it’s been really great po,” Enot shared. “I realized I’m [one of] the youngest in the college division… and also the shortest, but that didn’t affect my swim po.”
Enot’s transition from the juniors division to the collegiate level has come with its challenges.
Training at Ateneo has pushed him to step up both physically and mentally, competing against older, more experienced swimmers.
However, the adjustment has been key to his growth as a Blue Eagle.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Espiritu, another Davao-bred rookie, has also had a breakout performance.
On Day 3 of UAAP Season 87, he set a new record in the 100-meter breaststroke during the morning sessions.
Although he didn’t win gold in the final, securing silver and a personal best, it was a strong statement in his UAAP debut.
“I still get homesick every now and then. I almost cried when I finally saw my mom after being away from my family for three months,” Espiritu shared. “Being far away from them was a big challenge, but it taught me to be independent and mature as a student and athlete. The training in Ateneo is very hard. It’s only an hour and thirty minutes, but it feels like three hours…”
Espiritu credited his motivation to training alongside national swimmers like Rian Tirol and Miguel Barreto, who have set a high bar for him to follow.
Being around such elite athletes has pushed him to keep up and improve.
The success of both Enot and Espiritu is a testament to Ateneo’s swimming program, led by Program Director Archie Lim.
