BUILDING TOWARDS UAAP Season 86, the Ateneo Track and Field Teams went out in full-force during their Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) Weekly Relay Series qualifying campaign which began on July 9, 2023. Alongside the Blue Eagles, different teams and schools from around the country flocked to the PhilSports Athletics Stadium in Pasig City to strut their wares on the oval.

In nearly a three-month span, the Blue and White were able to produce high marks and great performances in their weekly events, which had two divisions, namely the under-20 division and the Elite/Open division.

Under-20 division events

Rookie Nash Candelario recorded the team’s highest marks in both his events. The former Baby Falcon placed 3rd on July 16 in the Men’s 400-meter with a time of 53.09 seconds and a resounding 2nd place in the 100-meter on August 6, running a total 0f 11.45 seconds. John Dave Tumangan of the One Cainta Athletics Team was 0.30 seconds ahead of the newest Blue Eagle at 11.15 seconds.

Fellow rookie Quino Ampeloquio competed in the Men’s Hammer Throw and Shot Put, throwing 19.64 meters and 9.16 meters in these events, placing him 5th and 14th respectively. The Ateneo Senior High School product also recorded a throw of 25.00 meters in the Men’s Discus Throw, placing 11th.

Ampeloquio’s rookie counterpart Basti Dela Cruz valiantly made the top 10 in both the Shot Put and Discus Throw events on September 17 and 24, recording 11.31m and 30.14m, respectively. Finally, sophomore athlete Louise Cabrera clocked in 40.56 seconds in the Women’s 200-meter, managing to finish the race despite incurring an injury during the event.

Men’s Elite/Open division events

Men’s Team Captain Ray Vicente shone in his individual events at the Men’s Long Jump and High Jump. After clearing a distance of 5.52 meters in the former event, Vicente reached 1.75m in the latter event, equalling his mark from UAAP Season 85. Meanwhile, distance runner Jonathan Reyes then raced through the Men’s 1500m and 800m events, recording times of 4:46.30 and 2:06.95, respectively, both surpassing his results from the previous UAAP season.

Decathlete Lucas Lopez competed in the Men’s 100m, 400m, Long Jump, Pole Vault, Shot Put, and Discus Throw events, showcasing veteran endurance on the track. Lopez clocked in at 12.11 seconds and 55.04 seconds at the Men’s 100-meter and 400-meter respectively. He then cleared 5.94 meters in the Long Jump, finishing in the top half of 39 competitors at 16th place. Narrowly missing 3rd place with a height of 3.20m, Lopez claimed 4th place out of 10 at the Pole Vault event. Lopez then launched a 10.16m throw at the Shot Put event, ranking 21st out of 30 athletes. Capping off his bouts, Lopez achieved a distance of 28.90m to place 27th among 46 athletes at the Discus Throw.

In the Men’s 200m event, Isaiah Yu finished with a time of 23.96 seconds and ranked 19th out of a field of 39. Yu consequently made it into the Top 50 after placing 41st out of 106 in the Men’s 400m event. Finishing less than two seconds before Yu in the same event was Joaquin Ipapo, who ranked 19th with a time of 52.77 seconds and clocked in at 23.62 seconds in the Men’s 200-meter. Ipapo claimed the 13th place out of 88. 

Meanwhile, veteran Mari Sison dashed to 54.83 seconds in the Men’s 400m event and 24.03 seconds in the Men’s 200m event, finishing in the top half in both events. Sison’s combined effort with Ipapo, Yu, and Ramirez for the Men’s 4x400m Relay resulted in a time of 3:39.63, with the Blue Eagles finishing 7th overall in the said event on August 27.

At the Men’s 100m dash event, John Gotladera and Ged Labrador made impressive feats by finishing milliseconds apart with times of 11.65 and 11.86 respectively on September 10. Labrador finished 11th out of 56 participants in the Men’s Long Jump event after clearing a distance of 6.27 meters, while Gotladera proceeded to race at the Men’s 200-meter event where he clocked in at 24.18 seconds. 

Looking to impress in his first year with the Blue and White, rookie Julian Ramirez did not fall far from his upperclassmen. With a time of 54.81 seconds in the Men’s 400m event and 23.76 in the Men’s 200m, Ramirez was able to place at the top half in both events. Additionally, the rookie sprinter also made an excellent appearance at the Men’s 100m, achieving a time of 11.74 seconds to rank 39th out of 135.

Finally, seasoned thrower Thirdy Runas and rookie racewalker Luis Licas valiantly closed the competition for the Blue Eagles on October 1 in the Men’s Shot Put and 5000m Walk, respectively. Runas placed 19th out of 34 after breaching 10.26m in his event. On the other hand, racing with unwavering spirit at one of the competition’s longest events, Licas ranked 16th out of 19 after crossing the finish line at 34:32.51.

Women’s Elite/Open division events

Women’s Team Captain Jia Kawachi shone in the Women’s Pole Vault event. The silver medalist from UAAP Season 85 cleared 3.40 meters twice to finish atop the standings in both instances.

Distance runner Franxine Regalado placed in the 11th spot in both the Women’s 800-meter and 1500-meter events, clocking in 2:54.84 minutes and 6:05.55 minutes respectively. Rookie sprinter Charlize Valencia also posted high marks in all her events. The newest Blue Eagle recorded a time of 31.82 seconds in the Women’s 200m and 14.44 seconds in the 100-meter, placing 20th and 37th respectively.

A final qualifying round for the under-20 (U20) events will be held on October 15, with Cabrera, Candelario, Dela Cruz, and Ampeloquio all eligible to compete. Moreover, Kawachi and decathlete Lopez have both qualified for the PATAFA Weekly Relay Series Finals as of writing.

The final events will be held from October 21 to 22 and from October 28 to 29, at the PhilSports Athletics Stadium in Pasig City.