THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Tankers concluded UAAP Season 76 with a total of 51 medals and seven records on September 22, 2013 at the Trace College Aquatic Center in Los Banos, Laguna. This earned the Blue Tankers a second runner-up finish, while the Lady Tankers emerged as the first runner-up.
“Great swims, great effort,” said Head Coach Archie Lim, “I believe we achieved so much this year—individually and as a team.”
The Blue Tankers remained strong in receiving their second runner-up award, despite the loss of their championship title last year. The Lady Tankers on the other hand, have settled once again for second place, behind five-time champions University of the Philippines.
The Lady Tankers, however, dominated the individual awards category. This season’s Rookie of The Year is freshman Thea Caluma, as she accumulated the most points among the rookies in the competition.
Senior Celina Gonzalez was also named as the season’s Most Valuable Player. Gonzalez hauled a total four gold and three silver medals.
“We may be few compared to the other teams, but what I’m proud of the most is that we tried to keep up the pace with the other teams with our best quality swims,” commented Women’s Team Captain Jackie Cruz. “It was a tough fight for Thea and Celina, but look, they surpassed their opponents,” she added.
On the final day, the only individual event where the Blue and Lady Tankers were able bag medals in was the 50m freestyle.
Blue Tanker Axel Ngui sprinted his way to a second place finish in the Men’s category. On the other hand, Lady Tankers Gonzalez, Jasmine Ong and Roanne Yu conquered the event, as they placed first, second, and third respectively.
The most crucial event for the day for the Blue Tankers was the 4x100m Individual Medley relay. It was the yet again the deciding factor for the first runner-up position between the Blue Tankers and Green Tankers of De La Salle University.
Unfortunately, Blue Tankers Jan Jeric Santos, Hubert Taguibao, Islau Dapat and Geoffrey Que finished second to the UP Maroons, losing points to outscore the Green Tankers in the overall tally.
The Lady Tankers also placed second in the Women’s 4x100m Individual Medley relay. The team was composed of Andee Torres, Sandra Gojar, Angelica Enrile-Inton and Yu.
Going home with mixed feelings, it was undeniably a memorable UAAP season for the Blue and Lady Tankers. “It is not always reflected in the awards,” shared Lim, “but this is a great step towards the ultimate goal of the team.”
