DIVING IN. The Ateneo Tankers are all set to beat the competition in the UAAP Swimming Tournament. Photos by Christella D. Soriano.

SEASON 74 was forecasted to be the year of the Ateneo Tankers. Dubbed as favorites to win the title of the UAAP Swimming Tournament, the Blue Tankers looked to bag their first-ever title while the Lady Tankers sought their second trophy since Season 71. But after four days of competing in Trace College, Los Baños, both squads fell short of their championship dreams.

Although they still managed to attain podium finishes, the Blue Tankers and Lady Tankers ended the season with mixed feelings and returned to the drawing board to prepare for the future. For Season 75, the Blue Tankers and Lady Tankers are once again among the teams to beat, but this time, they’re not messing around.

Blue Tankers

The Blue Tankers finished third place last year, which wasn’t all too bad according to Archie Lim, head coach and program director of swimming. “We were a little undermanned last year, but [we] still came out second.” The men’s team only lost one athlete to graduation after Season 74, but they increased their firepower with blue chip recruits Axel Ngui and Gio Palencia.

Ngui is a freestyle specialist who participated in the Southeast Asian Games age group swimming competition. Rookie Palencia has also competed for the Philippine team. Joining a balanced lineup composed of veterans, Ngui and Palencia could very well be the future of the team. “Axel will be aiming for Rookie of the Year and even the Most Valuable Player title and he’ll also be breaking records along the way,” said Team Captain Adel Barlisan.

Key returnees for the men’s team would be Barlisan, breaststroke specialist Sean Paul Tan, sprint specialist Benjo Ramos, and Islau Dapat, a jack of all trades.

Lady Tankers

Celina Gonzalez, 2011 MVP. Jasmine Ong, 2010 Rookie of the Year. Kim Uy, 2011 Rookie of the Year. Kezia Sarmiento, potential 2012 Rookie of the Year.

These are the four names which will light up the board for the Lady Tankers for this year’s UAAP swimming championships. The women’s team is even more deadly this year because they have an intact core.

Coach Lim said that the women’s team has more than one highly-skilled player in certain events. “Unlike the men’s team, the Lady Tankers are stacked [in] the freestyle and butterfly events, although newcomer [Sarmiento] is a backstroker.”

Sarmiento, who graduated from Trace College High School, is the current record holder of the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events for the UAAP high school division. Sarmiento definitely holds much potential for the women’s team.

Tying up loose ends

Lim took drastic measures and revamped the system in order to fulfill the championship dream this year. Training during Saturdays was made mandatory even if some of the players were part of a club. All swimmers are also required to do weight training during Tuesdays and Thursdays. In the past, this form of training was only encouraged, but Lim made sure it became part of the regular routine for the Blue and White.

The drastic change in training regimens gives the team a chance to train with each other as a whole complete unit. “Our main strength as a team is that we are more united. We train hard together and we support each other through good and tough times,” explained Gonzalez, the 2011 Moro Lorenzo Sportswoman awardee.

Hunger

With Tankers coming all the way from the Visayas region or some of the top private schools in Metro Manila, most members of the team have already tasted a championship. This motivates Barlisan, Karlo Lim and Max Austria—all alumni of the multi-titled Ateneo High School swimming program—to vie for a championship in the prestigious UAAP.

For the Lady Tankers, the winning ways of athletes like Gonzalez, Ong and Uy have translated into different national championships for their swimming clubs. Composed of veterans and fresh faces, the women’s team knows that the stakes are high but they are ready to fight. Aside from knowing each and every person’s roles in the team, the team also knows that they should make a collective effort in contributing points and cheering their teammates on in the heat of battle.

While knowing their strength very well, some Tankers emphasized that they have to remain humble and hardworking. “Last year, the men’s team placed second runner up. I think we have the chance to become champions if we all train harder and if we allocate the events to the swimmers properly,” stated Ngui. This mindset is frightful for their rivals because even if they had the talent, they’re still putting the work in.

When asked about their team’s attitude about the coming season, distance swimmer Lim shared that the team is determined to win. Meanwhile, sprinter David Santos also emphasized that the team must remain hungry. “We need to contribute points as a team. Every swimmer has to go all out in their respective events so we can secure the championship.” For Lady Tanker Ong, the bottom line is that, “We’re ready for UAAP.”

Even if the team carries this positive attitude, skipper Barlisan has identified a threat to the team. “Complacency,” he said. Adding to this, Barlisan said that the team should avoid having to just rely on its star players to get their golds in their respective events.

From the 27th to the 30th of September, these Tankers will have nothing on their minds but biting that gold medal once they dive into the pools of Trace College. Going for broke, these athletes have done all they can leading up to the season and they will put everything on the line to achieve their goal: to win it all for their alma mater.

Editor’s Note: This article is set to appear in The GUIDON’s upcoming September issue. The GUIDON decided to publish it online ahead of time as a primer to the Ateneo Tankers’ participation in the UAAP.

Updated September 26, 2012, 10:19PM