ROOKIE LADY tanker Andrea Ngui started her athletic career when she was in grade school. Her coaches saw the potential she had and pushed her into joining competitions. As the sister of blue tankers Captain Axel Ngui, the younger Ngui said that her brother also influenced her to give swimming a go. Since then she has competed in both national and international competitions. Last year, she won a bronze medal in the 39th Southeast Asian Age Group Swimming Championships. She placed third in the under 400-meter freestyle relay as a member of the junior national team.
Following in her brother’s footsteps, Ngui showcased a promising rookie campaign with the lady tankers. She won a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle clocking in at (1:00.49) during the first day, and then captured the bronze in both the 200-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly events finishing at (2:13.92) and (29.85) respectively.
The final medal Ngui captured was silver for the 50-meter freestyle, which she won right after her brother’s final event in the collegiate ranks. She described watching her brother’s last swim in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) swimming tournament as the most memorable experience she had this season. As Axel Ngui won the gold in his final event, he “passes the torch” to Andrea Ngui— symbolizing his departure from the Blue and White and marking the arrival of a younger but just as talented athlete in Andrea.
Ngui’s dominance in the competition garnered her enough points to win the Rookie of theYear award (ROY). “I felt really happy when I won the award because my teammates trusted me and I was able to give back to them,” said Ngui who was given the award after a mistake was corrected when officials thought she wasn’t a rookie. For Ngui, she could have not won the award without the support of those around her.
“The people that helped me the most were my teammates, my brother, Aldo [Batungbacal], [and] Jessie [Lacuna]. I’ve been training with them. They were pushing me since summer, and my coaches of course,” says Ngui.
Even with the added talent of Ngui this season, the lady tankers fell short of winning the overall championship. The Lady Tankers finished with 411 points, just behind the University of the Philippines (UP) who finished with 444 points.
Though the future looks bright with Andrea Ngui’s performance in her first year. When asked about what are the things she would want to improve on for next season she said: “Better times of course, more medals and podium finishes.” Considering her rookie year bested the performance of some veterans, she is now a top contender in future competitions.
As for the performance of the team as a whole, Ngui saw the dedication of her teammates. Ngui aims for the overall championship for the women’s team in the next season, and with her limitless potential, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she manages to bag the Most Valuable Player Award in the near future.
