CAPAS, Tarlac – Ateneo de Manila University put on a dazzling display of power on Day 3 of the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Swimming Championships at the New Clark City Aquatics Center here.
Ateneo’s men’s team set four new UAAP records across six events, establishing a commanding 162-point lead over De La Salle University.
Meanwhile, Ateneo’s women’s team surged to the top of the standings, overcoming defending champions University of the Philippines and De La Salle University.
Ateneo’s Record-Breakers
Ateneo’s Davao-bred rookie duo of Ivo Enot and Francis Greg Espiritu made an impact early in the morning preliminaries by setting new UAAP records in the men’s 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter breaststroke, respectively.
Both records were eventually surpassed in the afternoon finals.
Enot again shattered the men’s 100-meter backstroke record, clocking in at 58.12 seconds, breaking his previous mark of 58.59 seconds.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Rian Tirol, Ateneo’s graduating senior, followed suit by obliterating Espiritu’s 1:05.46 record in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke with a stunning time of 1:04.12. Espiritu, despite breaking his own personal best, had to settle for second place with a time of 1:05.06, while UP’s Jalil Taguinod finished third in 1:05.25.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Ateneo’s Rafael Barreto also etched his name in the record books by smashing the 24.96-second men’s 50-meter butterfly mark set by UP’s Joshua Gabriel Ang in 2022. Barreto clocked in at 24.75 seconds, finishing ahead of UST’s Mervien Jules Mirandilla (25.34 seconds) and Renz Kenneth Santos (25.60 seconds).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Meanwhile, Miguel Barreto, the Rookie of the Year and MVP favorite, continued to make waves by erasing the 10-year-old men’s 200-meter freestyle record with a time of 1:52.06. He also claimed victory in the men’s 400-meter individual medley, clocking 4:40.13 to complete a perfect record for the day.
With one event left, the younger Barreto is poised to win both individual awards.
The only event that eluded Ateneo in Day 3 was the men’s 4×50-meter freestyle relay, where the Blue Eagles were denied a podium finish.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
UST’s quartet of Gabriel Jizmundo, Hugh Antonio Parto, Mirandilla, and Johan Carlos Aguilen emerged victorious with a time of 1:36.83, beating La Salle (1:37.43) and UP (1:37.47).
Ateneo Women’s Team Climbs to Top
The Ateneo women’s team made a strong push, jumping to the lead after sitting in third place for the first two days.
The Blue Eagles delivered three golds, two silvers, and three bronze medals on Day 3, bringing their total to 268 points, ahead of UP (241 points) and La Salle (219 points).
Talosig Leads La Salle Early, but Ateneo Responds
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La Salle’s rookie sensation Mikaela Talosig set the pace for the Green Tankers, winning the women’s 200-meter freestyle in 2:09.23, ahead of Ateneo’s Mishka Sy (2:11.02) and UP’s Athena Shannessa Chang (2:13.82). However, Ateneo’s Sofia Annika Isip responded by claiming victory in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:14.41, with teammate Charllyn Romanos finishing third in 1:16.21.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
UST’s Alyza Paige Ng captured the gold in the women’s 50-meter butterfly, clocking in at 28.82 seconds, edging out UP’s reigning MVP Quendy Fernandez (28.93 seconds). Ateneo’s Sam Andrei Doragos took the bronze in 29.76 seconds.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In a record-breaking moment, UP’s Fernandez set a new mark in the women’s 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:03.97, breaking La Sallian Chloe Isleta’s 2022 record of 1:04.13.
Despite the impressive performance, Ateneo’s Samantha Coronel and Lora Micah Amoguis claimed second and third place, respectively, to neutralize UP’s surge.
Sy and Ateneo Women Dominate Final Events
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Ateneo kept its momentum, closing the day with strong performances in the final two events.
Sy earned her second gold medal in the women’s 400-meter individual medley with a time of 5:13.43, ahead of La Salle’s Raven Alcoseba (5:20.10) and UST’s Shairinne Floriano (5:22.50).
“I’m feeling actually chill this year. To be honest, I’m not counting the points. Mastrestress lang ako do’on eh. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment lang. Owning it as our tagline for this year says – own the moment,” Sy said.
“Today, especially the third day, is unexpectedly a very critical day, not just for me but for the [Ateneo] women’s team. We might have a chance to finally lead the championships.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the women’s 4×50-meter freestyle relay, Ateneo’s team of Maiki Gonzaga, Romanos, Coronel, and Kirsten Manuel made history by breaking UP’s 2022 record with a time of 1:50.99. UP finished second in 1:53.71, while UST took third in 1:56.19.
MVP Race Heats Up
With Talosig’s surprising no-show in two of her events, the MVP race has narrowed to a duel between Sy and Floriano.
Talosig missed the women’s 100-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley due to a misunderstanding, with La Salle coach Evan Grabador explaining, “She overlooked. She thought she was going to swim the 50-meter backstroke. Sayang nga eh! Actually, that’s her last two events.”
Despite this setback, Talosig remains a strong favorite for the Rookie of the Year award, but her MVP hopes have been dashed, as well as La Salle’s chances to reclaim the title lost to UP last season.
The final day of the UAAP 87 Swimming Championships will resume on Wednesday.
The preliminary round will feature the 50-meter backstroke, 200-meter breaststroke, 200-meter butterfly, and 50-meter freestyle, beginning at 8:30 a.m., with the finals session set to start at 2:00 p.m.
