THE ATENEO FAST Men’s Swimming Team once again rose against the tides in the University of Athletic Association (UAAP) Season 85 Men’s Swimming Tournament. After bagging a total of 11 gold, eight silver, and seven bronze medals, this historical win is the team’s seventh-straight championship, which took place last November 27 at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in the City of Manila.
The Blue Eagles dominated the Men’s 1500-meter Freestyle with a claim on the top three posts of the second heat. Joshua del Rio finished with a gold (16:49.61), capping his stunning performance for the season with the Rookie of the Year award. Trailing him is his teammate Philip Santos, who placed second (16:57.42) and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Completing the podium, Juan Marco Daos clocked in at 17:01.48 to claim the third spot. In Heat 1 of the same event, Rafael Valencia finished eighth at 19:56.54 seconds.
In the Men’s 200-meter Backstroke event, Ianiko Limfilipino notched second place at 2:27.04. Meanwhile, Rafael Isip finished sixth at 2:30.39.
Continuing his dominant performance, Santos racked up another medal with his 2:10.03 performance in the Men’s 200-meter Butterfly, which earned him the second spot. Daos finished not far behind at fourth place (2:12.50).
Rafael Barretto was the sole Blue Eagle who competed in the Men’s 50-meter Backstroke and Men’s 50-meter Freestyle, concluding both events with the fastest speeds at 28.25 and 24.06 seconds, respectively.
Wrapping up their only group event, the Blue Eagles led by Mark Rotoni, Rafael Isip, Rafael Valencia, and Charles Ticbaen competed in the Men’s 4×100 Medley, clocking in at 4:08.14 seconds to finish fourth overall.
Despite this being his first senior’s competition, the heavily decorated Barretto expressed that his dedication to win was for the team, “Honestly, I’m just super happy that I got to contribute para sa (for the) team for the championship. This week, all I [could] think about is the team. Lahat ng swims ko, for the team talaga siya (All my swims were really for the team).”
