IN 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers had a line-up built around four hall-of-gamers. Ultimately though, they succumbed to a well-oiled Detroit Pistons team in the finals. If there’s anything to be learned from this, it’s that a star team is better than a team of stars.

Last September 23 to 26, the Blue and Lady Tankers trekked to Trace College in Los Baños, Laguna to compete in the 73rd UAAP Swimming competition. As the sun set on the fourth day, the pool deck was littered with celebration ―no matter the outcome. The men’s team finished 2nd runner-up to UP and UST while the ladies yielded to a well-balanced UP squad on the last day.

Of notable interest was the fact that Atenean swimmers swept all individual awards. Returning veteran Evan Uy and last year’s Rookie of the Year, Denjylie Cordero grabbed the MVP awards for the men and women respectively while General Santos city native Lawin Dacera and Southeast Asian Games tanker Jasmine Ong nabbed the ROYs for the Blue and White.

Although both the Blue and Lady Tankers are among the best in the country, there are a lot of areas for improvement. At the end of the competition, what hurt them was the well-balanced attack of the State University tankers. In swimming, finishing any place within the top 8 garners points. While Ateneo swimmers made a killing at the podium, UP just had far too many contributors, sometimes even occupying half of the possible lanes in an event.

During the first day of competition, the men took off the gates rather slowly, eventually falling to fourth place halfway through all events. The third day however, was when Evan Uy stamped on his dominance, treading the water towards two golds and two new records. By the end of the contest, the Blue Tankers finished one place lower than the previous year. As was expected, the ladies romped through the opposition in the early stages. It was only on the last day that they relinquished their lead.

Nevertheless, it was a euphoric four days for Team Ateneo. The men’s team finished with eight golds, six silvers, and seven bronzes, and in the process set two new UAAP records. For the women’s team, the medal haul consisted of 16 golds, seven silvers, and four bronzes which came with nine new league records—some of which were more than fifteen years old.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the men’s 4×50 m medley relay in day three was the highlight of the tournament. The boys in blue led comfortably through the first three legs of the race until UST and DLSU fought back. The last 50 meters had no shortage of excitement as all three swimmers plunged into the water simultaneously. Benjo Ramos, brother of former team captain Jonas Ramos, out touched his competitors by a mere 66 hundredths of a second, ultimately sending the Ateneo faithful into a titanic surge of jubilation.

Though the Blue and Lady Tankers did not come home with the trophy they wanted, what took place during the past days are positive and engaging signs for the future. On the men’s side, Dacera, Ramos, Sean Tan, and Islau Dapat have shown that they will only get better through time. Surely, they will be potent weapons for Coach Archie Lim in the seasons to come. The women’s team triumvirate of Cordero, Ong, and Celina Gonzalez accounted for a massive 160 out of the team’s 249 points, making them—quite possibly—the most dominant trio in recent memory. Thankfully for Ateneo, they will suit up again for at least another two years.

Before Coach Lim was thrown yet again into the pool during celebration, he left with some ominous words, “We did well, but we’ll be back stronger next year.”

Author’s note: For an in-depth story behind the Blue and Lady Tankers, watch out for the October issue of The GUIDON. The Ateneo High School Junior Tankers ruled once again, swimming to an unprecedented 6-peat. Ateneans Gabe Castelo and Alberto Batungbacal were named MVP and Rookie of the Year respectively.

Medalists:

Blue Tankers

Evan Uy

Lawin Dacera

Sean Tan

Benjo Ramos

Islau Dapat

Mike Contreras (Captain)

Karlo Lim

David Santos

Adel Barlisan

Chem Ocampo

Jared Mella

Lady Tankers

Denjylie Cordero

Jasmine Ong

Celina Gonzalez

Roanne Yu

Nikki Banawa

Maysheen Tiu

Kaka Enrile-Inton

Paui Peña (Captain)

Regine Yu

Zari Sabelita

Denden Decena

Steph Dysangco

Jen Tumambing