In Season 82, the FAST Ateneo Women’s Swimming Team took the UAAP by storm after completing their first-ever three-peat championship run. With a sturdy lineup of swimmers and having won four out of the past five titles, the team is slated to garner even more success in the seasons to come. While recent years saw a humble team grow to become a household name, the path to success has not always been easy for the Lady Eagles.
Since Season 77, the Lady Eagles and the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons have battled neck-and-neck in the UAAP Women’s Swimming Tournament. Before FAST’s three-peat run, Ateneo fell prey to their Katipunan-based rival in Season 79 as a result of Ateneo’s struggles in recruiting swimmers to compete in every event. “It’s the same story of Ateneo not having enough swimmers scoring points, as we would, most of the time, have the MVP or ROY swimmer. Our program was still developing, and Season 79 was just a year [when] we [didn’t] have enough to win it,” expressed FAST Program Director Archie Lim.However, narrowly missing out on the Season 79 championship only made the team hungrier going into Season 80. Alongside three-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Hannah Dato—who was entering her final season for the Blue and White that year—FAST welcomed its next generation of stars in Chloe Daos and Courtney Grey. Daos, who won gold in six out of her seven events, bagged both the Rookie of the Year (ROY) and MVP awards. Meanwhile, Grey contributed massive points by winning gold in all of her backstroke events.
“I think a big factor [of the three-peat] is that our team now is very well-rounded. We have different people for different events as compared to before when there were some events that lacked people to swim in.”
– Reigning Three-time MVP Chloe Daos
Apart from the strong recruiting class, Lim noted how empowering his swimmers to perform at their highest level became a factor in achieving their desired results. “[Winning was possible because in the past] we would win a championship [with] fewer dominant swimmers. [Recently,] most if not all [swimmers,] believe that they are a bigger part of the team and [that] they have a contribution to the [team’s overall] success,” stated Lim. In the end, the Lady Eagles amassed a 46-point margin against UP to bag the Season 80 crown.
While FAST was able to reclaim the title, the following year’s title defense proved to be the team’s most dominant season yet. With Daos leading the charge supported by Season 81 ROY Dara Carreon, the Lady Eagles won their second championship with a whopping 178–point lead against UP.
Despite establishing dominance in the water for two consecutive years, the Lady Eagles faced a new challenge in Season 82. With junior national swimmers Erin Catrillo and Nikki Pamintuan joining the squads of UP and De La Salle University (DLSU), respectively, the Lady Eagles needed to match their added firepower. Despite the improved level of competition, Daos’ brilliance and an overall team effort from the Blue and White allowed them to finish 68 points ahead of the Lady Maroons.
“We were really worried about the third one [because] the other schools had swimmers from the national team also. It was more of trying to still defend the championship. It wasn’t really an easy thing for us,” voiced Daos as she reminisced on the team’s mindset after bagging their third straight title.
Having been a part of the three-peat journey since her rookie year, Daos attributed the team’s success to its holistic mix of talent. “I think a big factor [of the three-peat] is that our team now is very well-rounded. We have different people for different events as compared to before when there were some events that lacked people to swim in,” shared the reigning MVP.
