THE MEN and women of FAST Ateneo Swimming Team (FAST) completed their fairytale run and cemented their status as the paramount swim teams in the collegiate ranks as they fulfilled their respective championship defenses on the final day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Swimming Tournament on Sunday, October 20, at Trace College, Los Baños.
For the third time in a row, both the Blue and Lady Eagles brought home the gold. The men’s team clinched a six-peat title by 10 points over De La Salle University (DLSU) after facing a 13-point climb entering the final day. On the other hand, the women’s team continued to streak miles ahead of the competition en route to a third-straight championship.
Chloe Daos received her third Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in three years, after another seven-gold stint this season. In the men’s division, Rotoni capped off his debut season with the Rookie of the Year (ROY) accolade.
Without past mainstays Aldo Batungbacal and Jessie Lacuna, the Blue Eagles came into the tournament as underdogs, but Team Captain Cariño successfully fulfilled the FAST slogan adopted by both the men’s and women’s teams this season: Against All Odds.
In the Men’s 50m Backstroke finals, Miguel Barlisan placed second with a time of (28.36) behind Sacho Illustre of DLSU, while Aki Cariño placed fourth after clocking in at (28.53). In the Women’s finals, Courtney Gray came in at fifth after finishing (31.84).
The Blue Eagles had four swimmers qualify for the Men’s 200m Breaststroke finals. Jiron Rotoni took second place with a time of (2:27.34). Rian Tirol, Drew Magbag, and Josh Taleon came in at fifth (2:29.46), sixth (2:29.97), and seventh (2:30.10), respectively. Nirel Ibarra claimed top spot in the Women’s 200m event after finishing (2:50.63), followed by Jazmin Chua in second (2:51.72). Ronalyn Lalimo came in at (2:52.70) to finish fifth and Sarah Alvina clocked in at (2:58.04) to place sixth.
In the Men’s 200m Butterfly finals, Ianiko Limfilipino placed third (2:13.51), while teammate Miggy Arellano finished seventh (2:19.10) to round out the points for the Blue Eagles. Chloe Daos continued her golden run with a (2:19.03) swim, breaking the record of former FAST Lady Eagle Hanna Datu in the process. Right behind her were teammates Suzanne Himor at (2:27.26), Raegan Gavino at (2:28.57), and Kristine Santos (2:32.24) in second, third, and fourth place, respectively, to close out a podium sweep for Ateneo.
Ateneo continued to rack up the points in the next event: The 50m Freestyle finals. Drei Buhain took home a gold medal after finishing at (24.06) and Miguel Barlisan bagged his second silver medal of the day, clocking in at (24.11). Andrea Ngui was the sole swimmer for the Lady Eagles in the Women’s finals and finished in second place with a time of (27.65).
Limfilipino took to the pool once more, striking gold in the grueling 1500m freestyle event to deliver crucial points to the team. The sophomore’s first-place run was marked at (17:27.56).
The Men’s 400m Medley Relay was tipped to be the deciding event in the final outcome of the competition for the Blue Eagles. With their dynasty on the line, Aki Cariño, Josh Taleon, Drew Magbag, and Drei Buhain stepped up for the Blue and White. They finished with a total time of (4:04.93) to place second, ahead of DLSU and the University of the Philippines. Gray, Chua, Himor, and Marj Manguiat teamed up for the Lady Eagles to claim top spot with a time of (4:41.08) for a sweet ending to an excellent tournament for the team.
