CAPAS, Tarlac— University of Santo Tomas continued its dominance in the pool as both the boys’ and girls’ teams extended their commanding leads on Day 2 of the UAAP Season 87 Swimming Championships at the New Clark City Aquatics Center on Monday.
The Junior Tigersharks delivered a stellar performance, capturing four gold medals each in the five events contested by both divisions. The boys’ team added four silvers and three bronzes to their haul, while the girls’ team collected two silvers and two bronzes.
At the midway point, the standings reflect UST’s supremacy, with both squads amassing more than double the points of their nearest competitors.
In the boys’ division, UST leads with an imposing 331 points, leaving Ateneo de Manila University (113) and University of the Philippines (52) trailing far behind.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Ateneo’s Miguel Martinez managed to steal a rare victory in the 50-meter breaststroke, clocking 30.45 seconds to edge out UST’s Francis Ebcas (31.16) and Joaquin Mirasol (31.40).
Despite the upset, UST dominated the rest of the day’s events with a series of podium sweeps.
In the 400-meter freestyle, Aishel Evangelista delivered a gold-winning time of 4:20.12, followed by teammates Aldrich Balderas (4:29.16) and CJ Valenzuela (4:29.36).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Similarly, Kristoff David led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:14.44, trailed by Julian De Kam (2:18.09) and Yuri Acidre (2:19.54).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Jabrielle Delizo claimed his second gold of the tournament in the 100-meter butterfly, clocking 59.15 seconds, just ahead of Valenzuela (59.69) and UPIS’s Kevin Chan (59.91).
The boys’ 4×100-meter freestyle relay was a showcase of UST’s dominance. The team of David, Acidre, Delizo, and Timothy Capulong smashed the UAAP record with a time of 3:42.49, leaving Ateneo (4:04.29) and De La Salle Zobel (4:11.16) far behind.
Evangelista’s exceptional performance places him atop the Most Valuable Player standings with 50 points, making him the clear favorite for the award.
UST’s girls’ team leads with 242 points, ahead of Ateneo (118) and UP (103), who are locked in a battle for second place.
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Ateneo’s Liaa Margarette Amoguis earned the lone gold medal that escaped UST, winning the 400-meter freestyle in 4:46.49, narrowly beating UST’s Kristine Uy (4:47.54) and UP’s Liv Abigail Florendo (4:49.99).
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Uy rebounded in the 200-meter backstroke, securing gold in 2:31.52, ahead of De La Salle Zobel’s Zia Ranjo (2:31.68) and UST’s Ishaelle Villa (2:32.10).
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The Tigersharks swept the 50-meter breaststroke, with Clara Delos Santos taking gold in 34.73 seconds, followed by teammates Gerice Oyaman (36.27), Rhetz Andaya (36.34), and Sealtiel Cherrie Daiz II (36.41).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Pam Santor kept UST’s momentum going with a commanding win in the 100-meter butterfly, finishing in 1:04.87. UP’s Aubrey Tom (1:07.22) and DLSZ’s Ysabela Alcazar (1:07.56) completed the podium.
The girls’ 4×100-meter freestyle relay team of Juliana Lagula, Laureen Sealtiel Daiz, Delos Santos, and Cherrie Daiz II claimed gold in 4:21.40.
Wide Open in Girls’ MVP Race
Unlike the boys’ division, the girls’ MVP race remains tight. Ateneo’s Amoguis leads with 45 points, followed closely by UST’s Uy (43 points) and UP’s Tom (32 points).
Santor, currently fourth with 36 points, remains a strong contender with four events remaining compared to her rivals’ three.
Day 3 of the UAAP Season 87 Swimming Championships resumes Tuesday.
Preliminary rounds for the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke, 50-meter butterfly, 100-meter backstroke, and 400-meter individual medley will start at 8:30 a.m., with the finals session beginning at 3:00 p.m.
