NO STRANGER to success is freshman Miggy Arellano, who graduated from the Ateneo junior tankers as the Most Valuable Player, while leading the team to their 11th straight championship. The distance swimmer had also experienced this success on multiple levels, representing Ateneo since his grade school years, the National Capital Region in Palarong Pambansa and the Philippines in the 2014 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Games.
In his rookie year with the blue tankers, Arellano got a taste of the success he would become accustomed to receiving. He nabbed the silver in the 200-meter butterfly—finishing behind Olympian Jessie Lacuna— with an impressive time of (2:13.60). His second place finish added to the blue tankers’ impressive medal haul that catapulted them to their third straight title, and this earned him Rookie of the Year honors.
Despite the team’s title and his prestigious award, Arellano felt that his first year in the college level was a trying one.
“My times were okay, but competing in the college level was an eye-opening experience because back in high school, I was used to getting medals in almost all of my events,” said Arellano, who was unable to place in the 5 other events he participated in.
Adjusting to the competition was not the only difficult part for Arellano. The academic adjustment also played a factor and he said, “Back in high school, [my schedule] was set. In college, I have fewer classes and somehow more time, but I had to incorporate my own study time because if you don’t do that, you’ll get left behind in college.”
For Ateneo, those words are only encouraging as they show the maturity of a young tanker able to recognize his mistakes and show a desire to improve. With the loss of Ngui to graduation, the team will look into the development of their younger swimmers like Arellano in their quest to grab a fourth straight title in University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80.
Even with his self-critiques, Arellano’s ultimate takeaway from his first year was the experience he gained from participating and having a hand in a championship run. He is ultimately grateful to be given the opportunity this early in his college life, but knows that there is much work to be done in the offseason by the entire team to keep the Blue and White consistently on top.
“I’m just thankful and happy for the experience. I’m thankful the award still went to Ateneo. I’m sure that [next season] everyone will step up and will be able to their part and we’ll be able to protect the dream.”
