THE PENULTIMATE day of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Swimming tournament was filled with stellar performances from the men and women of the FAST Ateneo Swimming Team. The Lady Eagles tallied three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals to catapult themselves further away from second place. They sit comfortably at the top of the standing with 343 points. The Blue Eagles amassed a total of two gold, two silver, and three bronze to aid their efforts to catch first. With a total of 243 points, they are still hot on the trail of De La Salle University, who are the front runners with 256 points.
In the 200m Freestyle finals, Miguel Barlisan’s time of (1:58.75) proved to be enough to win Ateneo the bronze medal, while fellow Blue Eagle Drew Buhain clocked in at (2:03.22) to finish eighth. The Lady Eagles dominated the podium in the same event with Chloe Daos and Andrea Ngui finishing at (2:11.86) and (2:15.64), respectively, to deliver a 1-2 finish for their team.
Jiron Rotoni got in on the medal haul and managed a third place finish (1:08.49) in the Men’s 100m Breastroke finals. Josh Taleon followed at sixth, clocking in at (1:08.20). Meanwhile, Ronalyn Lalimo struck gold for the ladies with a time of (1:19.64), and Jazmin Chua scored herself a bronze medal, registering a time of (1:20.30)—just one tenth of a second shy of a silver medal. Nirel Ibarra added two points to the cause with her seventh place finish (1:23.83).
Barlisan, the only Blue Eagle in the 50m butterfly finals, notched a sixth place finish in the event after clocking in at (26.33). In the women’s division, Kristine Santos finished at (30.16) to give the Lady Eagles another bronze medal, followed closely by Ngui and Suzanne Himor who finished fourth (30.35) and fifth (30.73), respectively.
Another lone Blue Eagle flew in the 100m Backstroke finals as Team Captain Aki Cariño completed a bronze finish with a time of (1:01.29). For the Lady Eagles, Courtney Gray landed fifth after recording (1:10.36) while Dara Carreon finished seventh at (1:12.14).
Topping the podium for the 400m Individual Medley were Ianiko Limfilipino and Rotoni. The former took home the gold at (4:50.61) and the latter snagged silver from a (4:53.72) swim. The Lady Eagles also secured podium finishes with Daos’s golden (5:11.58) stretch and Team Captain Raegan Gavino’s (5:20.72) bronze run.
Teaming up for the high-octane 4x50m Freestyle relays were veterans Barlisan, Buhain, Jethro Chua, and Taleon who clinched the gold for the Blue Eagles with a (1:37.26) sprint. Carreon, Ngui, Carmela Ordoño, and Marjorie Manguiat, completed a silver finish for the Lady Eagles after a (1:54.47) outing.
The FAST Ateneo Swimming Teams’ title defenses will be at stake on the final day of the UAAP Season 82 Swimming Tournament on Sunday, October 20 at Trace College, Los Baños.
