Jessie Lacuna

JESSIE LACUNA has already made himself a household name in Philippine swimming. Lacuna was eight years old when he first competed in the national stage in the Batang Pinoy National Championship in 2001, where he won a gold medal in the 100m butterfly category and silver in the 200m freestyle category.

He later proved himself as a dominant athlete in the recent University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), as he garnered the maximum 105 points as a competitor. Lacuna broke every UAAP record for each event he competed in on his way to winning the Most Valuable Player award.

But many know the Bulacan native more as the Olympian, who represented the country in the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London. The interdisciplinary studies sophomore has probably had more international experience than the average Atenean.

BEYOND THE LOCAL SCENE. Season 77 Most Valuable Player Jessie Lacuna’s success goes beyond the national level. (Photo by Max V. Austria)

In 2008, a 14-year-old Lacuna garnered an impressive haul of two gold, two silver and a bronze medals in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Age Group Swimming Championships.

Included in his list of accomplishments are his recently collected medals in the 2014 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) University Games, a competition that features the top teams and athletes from the different universities of ASEAN member countries.

After losing out on a medal finish by a gut-wrenching 0.4 seconds, Jessie attained the gold medal for the 200m freestyle on the second day of the event. The Olympian also showed off his endurance in the waters, winning the bronze medal for the country in the 1,500m freestyle.

Lacuna helped Team UAAP-Philippines finish fifth overall out of the 11 competing nations, as the country tallied 10 gold, 11 silvers and 21 bronze medals, their best performance in the said event.

Lacuna is also the current National Record Holder of the 200m freestyle for men’s swimming. He is part of the team that holds the records for the 4×50m freestyle relay, 4×100m freestyle relay and 4×200m freestyle relay events.

With all of the individual accolades that he’s collected, Lacuna expressed that he knows the future is bright for the Philippines in the global scale. “Kung maayos lang at mabibigyan ng tamang funds, feeling ko makakahabol naman ang Philippine sports. (If given the proper funds, I feel that Philippine sports can catch up),” he said.

WINNING FOR THE COUNTRY. Hannah Dato carried our nation’s colors during her stellar performance in the ASEAN University Games. (Photo by Max V. Austria)

Hannah Dato

NINETEEN-YEAR-old Lady Tanker Hannah Dato has been making waves, both in the local and international swimming scene.

In her first season competing for the Ateneo in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77, the highly touted recruit, just like Jessie Lacuna, broke the record for every event she competed in. Dato ended up totaling a maximum 105 points on her way to earning the UAAP Women’s Swimming Most Valuable Player award.

The national team tanker now holds the new UAAP Women’s Swimming records for the 200m individual medley (IM) (2:21.66), 400m freestyle (4:30.76), 100m butterfly (1:02.22), 200m freestyle (2:07.87), 50m butterfly (28.20), 400m IM (5:05.08) and 200m butterfly (2:19.71).

Not only has Dato has brought pride to the university, but she has also become our nation’s jewel for women’s swimming on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) level.

Dato dazzled in the 2014 ASEAN University Games as she snagged a total of seven medals en route to being the top performing swimmer for Team UAAP Philippines. Dato won three gold medals from the 200m IM, 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly, respectively, two silver medals from the 400m IM, and two bronze medals from the 200m butterfly and 4x100m women’s medley relay.

Dato expressed that she was proud of their performance as a team because of the initial doubt that clouded the country. Being dubbed as the new face of swimming by her teammates and fellow competitors, Dato proved that the Philippines has more to offer in the international scene. “Nagulat talaga sila na may ibubuga pala ang Philippines (They were really surprised that the Philippines can contribute something to the competition),” Dato said.

Beyond the ASEAN games, Dato has also made an impact in other international meets. She is the current national record holder for the 200m IM after clocking in at two minutes and 21 seconds in the 2014 Southeast Asian Federation Championship held in Singapore.

Looking forward, Dato is currently preparing for even more international competition. She shares that winning is important but performing at her optimum level for the Philippines is what matters the most.