AFTER A two-year hiatus, FAST Ateneo Men’s Swimming Team is back in the pool to defend their six-year championship streak in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Swimming Tournament. The Blue Eagles took home three podium finishes for the individual contests while landing fourth place in both group events earlier today at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in the City of Manila.
For the individual category, former National Team member Rafael Barretto clinched his first UAAP Seniors Division award after winning gold in the Men’s 100-meter Freestyle event with a time of 52.11 seconds. Meanwhile, Juan Marco Daos placed third (53.31), trailing Sacho Ilustre of De La Salle University who ended with 53.06 seconds.
Raf Barreto comes in first place with a time of (52.11) while Juan Marco Daos clinches third with a time of (53.31).#UAAPSwimming pic.twitter.com/aO2q3YB1dM
— Ethan M. Encarnacion (@Ethan_TheGUIDON) November 24, 2022
In the Men’s 200-meter Medley, the former back-to-back Juniors Most Valuable Player Philip Santos put on a show for Ateneo, completing the race with the fastest speed at 2:11.39 seconds. Contributing to the Blue Eagles, Ianiko Limfilipino finished fifth and clocked in at 2:15.11 seconds. Right behind him was Joshua del Rio claiming the sixth spot (2:15.13), just 0.2 seconds after his teammate.
In the 4×50 Medley, the Blue Eagles ranked fourth (1:53.04) with the lineup consisting of Jiron Rotoni, Justin Cheng, Roman Cabreza, and Marco Tirol. Charles Ticbaen, Marco Austriaco, Rafael Isip, and Limfilipino closed the first day of competition with combined efforts to snag the fourth post in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle. The four Blue Eagles concluded the race and the day with 8:18.88 on the clock.
Barretto, just like his teammates, aims to clinch the end goal of their hopefully seventh straight UAAP championship. “It was a good start, then moving forward I hope this win motivates the team to push for our goal to win the championship,” he shared.
The Blue Eagles look to build on their momentum today in the four events happening tomorrow, November 25, starting 8:30 AM for the preliminary heat at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in Manila.
