SEPTEMBER MARKS the countdown to the start of the Blue and Lady Tankers’ University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season. After months of arduous preparation, their skills will be tested in four days of rigorous competition.
Last year, the Blue Tankers made history after securing their first ever championship title in almost 35 years. Their victorious finish was more than enough to redeem themselves for their lackluster showing in the previous year. For the Lady Tankers, last year marked their fourth consecutive second place finish to University of the Philippines (UP).
In Season 76, both teams are faced with great tasks. For the Blue Tankers, the goal is to successfully defend their championship crown. For the Lady Tankers, it is to finally reclaim the top spot, a feat that they have been unable to achieve since Season 71.
Building a team
After losing powerhouse swimmers Sean Tan and Adel Barlisan to graduation, the Blue Tankers are banking on their prized recruits to continue the fight for first place.
One such recruit is management economics freshman and backstroke specialist Jan Jeric Santos. Since the age of 11, Santos has been participating in national competitions such as Palarong Pambansa and G League National Swimming Championships. Today, he is widely recognized as one of the best swimmers in the country, consecutively garnering gold medals in backstroke events.
Another is environmental science freshman Thea Caluma, who is expected to rake in significant points for the Lady Tankers. Since 2010, Caluma has been the consistent recipient of the I Am Xtreme award in the G League National Swimming Championships for her performance in the long course series. She has also trained under the Ateneo Swimming Program Director and Head Coach Archie Lim for three years. With these preparations, Caluma may very well be in the running for this season’s Rookie of the Year award.
In addition, both Santos and Caluma are members of the Junior National Swimming Team and have been competing in the SEA Age Group Swimming Championships since 2010.
However, this year’s true top recruits are National Team members Jessie Lacuna and Hannah Dato. Dato is notorious for dominating freestyle events in the Philippine National Games, particularly the 100 and 400m events. Lacuna was the Philippines’ youngest delegate in the 2012 London Olympics.
Unfortunately for their teams, both of these prized recruits have to sit this season out in compliance with UAAP residency rules. Nonetheless, the presence of these top-caliber athletes has further inspired their teammates to train harder to win the championship.
Preparations
As with most UAAP teams, the Blue and Lady Tankers started their preparations over the summer. Long hours of strenuous training sessions involved workouts composed of a mix of swimming, land training and weights training in the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center. “Hopefully it will translate to better swims,” says Coach Lim.
Apart from the athletes’ physical preparations, several team-building activities were also arranged in order to strengthen the bond of the team members. “These will, and have, motivated them to train more and perform better in the UAAP,” explains Lim.
The teams have also engaged in preseason tournaments in order to gauge their current performance. Last July 28, the Blue and Lady Tankers hosted a dual meet against San Beda College at the Loyola Schools Swimming Pool. About a month later, the team also attended a tri-meet against the teams of De La Salle University (DLSU) and UP.
The Blue Tankers defeated San Beda but placed second in the tri-meet. The Lady Tankers, on the other hand, placed first in both meets. These meets served as confidence boosters for both teams, given that DLSU and UP are their strongest opponents in the UAAP.
Defending the crown
“We have a championship to defend,” shares Blue Tankers Team Captain Islau Dapat. “Now more than ever, the pressure is much bigger.”
Dapat says that having the right mindset will be necessary in defending their championship. “Mental preparation is the key to retaining the championships because it is different this year. The pressure is incomparable to last year because we need to prove that last year’s win is no flash in the pan,” he shares.
Armed with last season’s top scorers Axel Ngui and Gio Palencia, the Blue Tankers step into the season with high hopes. Ngui’s outstanding showing last season earned him the Rookie of the Year Award, while Palencia’s strong performance in freestyle events got him ranked as one of the consistent podium finishers. Leading the team are veterans Dapat, an individual medley specialist, and Benjo Ramos, an experienced sprinter.
Seeking redemption
The Lady Tankers are looking at a slightly different situation. Though they are known for their quality swimmers, they are greatly outnumbered by their opposing teams.
Unlike other universities’ teams, the Lady Tankers have never been able to reach the maximum of 20 players on the roster, and this is their biggest disadvantage; the fewer the members on the team, the slimmer the chance of raking in points and advancing to the finals.
Despite this snag, Team Captain Jackie Cruz reminds the team to keep training harder to further improve the quality of their performance. “If you look at our lineup, it is really strong,” Cruz says. “[We have] quality over quantity.”
It should also be noted that the Lady Tankers have been consistent in garnering individual awards. In 2010, Jasmine Ong was awarded Rookie of the Year and former Lady Tanker Jiji Cordero was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). In the following year, Kimberly Uy was named Rookie of the Year and then-sophomore Celina Gonzalez was awarded MVP.
This year may be the last season that the team’s powerhouse trio of Gonzalez, Ong and Uy will be competing together. Both Gonzalez and Ong are in their senior year and have yet to decide whether they will be taking a fifth year. That said, the team is positive that the three will go all-out. Ong and Uy are best known for dominating the freestyle events, while Gonzalez is expected to set the standard for the butterfly events yet again.
The challenges that face the Blue and Lady Tankers this UAAP season continue to drive them to be passionate and committed to their sport. For these men and women who are “born to swim and built to last,” the road to bringing honor to the Ateneo will be demanding, but it is a road that they are more than willing to take.
From September 19 to 22, the Blue and Lady Tankers will battle at the Trace Colleges, Los Baños, Laguna.
Editors’ note: Jan Jeric Santos is a member of The GUIDON’s Externals staff.