SUSTAINING THEIR dynasty with a myriad of podium finishes, the FAST Ateneo Men’s Swimming Team boasted a titanic medal collection in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Swimming Championships, paving the way for their eighth-straight championship.
The Blue Eagles solidified their title retention bid with a total of eight gold, 11 silver, and six bronze medals, all hauled at Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in the City of Manila from November 23 to November 26.
Consequently, Phillip Joaquin Santos snagged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors after dominating score tallies with six medals out of seven events, bagging his second MVP award at the college level. Tailing Santos’s excellence, team captain Rian Marco Tirol capped off his UAAP career with flying colors as broke his own UAAP record in the 50m Breaststroke event.
Looking to firmly secure the title on the last day of the tournament, Rafael Baretto opened with electrifying waves as he clocked in at 27.82 ticks in the Men’s 50m Backstroke event, ultimately finishing fifth in the race. Following Baretto’s gambits, Ianiko Limfilipino clinched a silver medal in 200m Backstroke with a registered time of 2:23.85.
Powering through waves, Juan Marco Daos added another gold in his medal crowd after taking top spot in the 200m Butterfly event. The sophomore secured a time of 2:09.94 to headline his podium finish. Meanwhile, Santos set his anchor in the fourth spot of the same event, conceding the bronze medal to Marc Libarnes of De La Salle University.
In the 50m Freestyle event, Baretto continued to collect merits for the Men’s squad as he powered through a tight race. Claiming the top spot in the event at 24.05 ticks, the Blue Eagle added another medal to his individual tally.
To cap off the Men’s squad’s coronation, Matthieu Tao, Rafael Isip, Prince Rotoni, and Joaquin Cutodio set ripples in the medley relay as they charged to fourth place, recording a collective time of 4:16.53 minutes.
The now-eight-peat champions of UAAP Men’s Swimming claim their monumental finish as the longest win-streak of FAST. With key contributions from Santos, Daos, Baretto, Del Rio, and Tirol, the Blue Eagles successfully conquered the tides with a total of 405 points.
Men’s Swimming Standing
- FAST Ateneo Men’s Swimming Team (405 points)
- DLSU Green Tankers (329.5 points)
- UP Fighting Maroons (267.5 points)
- UST Tigersharks (209 points)
