The DLSU Green and Lady Tankers showed promising performances in both individual and team events but came up short in bringing home the championship in this year’s UAAP Season 80 Swimming Tournament held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Swimming Pool last October 12 to 15.
In this year’s event, the Green Tankers garnered a total of 328 points, maintaining second place for the fourth consecutive year, while to no avail, the Lady Tankers dropped to fourth place with a total of 84 points.
Similar to last season, the Ateneo Blue Eagles once again dominated the pool on their way to a fourth straight title, while the UP men’s Varsity Swimming Team remained in third place for the third consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Ateneo Lady Eagles reclaimed the women’s title, narrowly edging the women’s UP Varsity Swimming Team.
Day one
During the opening day, the Green and Lady Tankers earned three podium finishes. Neil Puyo, Skyler Claveria, Leon Silvestre, and Alfonso Bautista copped gold medals in the Men’s 4x50m medley relay, as they clocked in at 1:49.73. In the same event in the women’s division, Ailsa Agustin, Maggie Mendoza, Mariel Carandang, and Dara Evagelista bagged silver medals as they posted a time of 2:11.30, behind the women’s UP Varsity Swimming Team which clocked in at 2:04.65. Lastly, Sage Yabut, Rochmond Santos, Lance So, and Fahad Alkhaldi placed first in the Men’s 4x200m freestyle event.
In the individual events, Alnair Guevarra of the DLSU Green Tankers secured the bronze medal in the Men’s 200m individual medley event, posting a time of 2:13.98. In addition, Alkhaldi clinched the bronze and silver medals in the Men’s 100m freestyle and 800m freestyle, respectively.
Day two
For the individual events, Alkhaldi won silver in the 400m freestyle, next to Jessie Lacuna of ADMU, who broke his own record with a finishing time of 4:01.95. Likewise, Guevarra claimed bronze in the 100m butterfly, just a few seconds behind ADMU’s Lacuna and UP’s Pogiongko. Moreover, Green Tankers Miguel Narciso, Bautista, Alkhaldi, and Guevarra earned silver medals in the 400m medley relay event, achieving a time of 3:41.48, just a millisecond behind the team from Katipunan which had a time of 3:41.08.
As for the women’s division, the ADMU Lady Eagles continued to grab the gold in the individual and team events, with Kirsten Daos claiming first place finishes in the 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly. In addition, ADMU’s Courtney Gray won the gold in the 200m backstroke.
Day three
As the team from Taft carried forward into the competition, they continued to heap up medals in the individual events. Once again, Alkhaldi bagged a silver medal in the Men’s 200m freestyle, while Silvestre won second place in the 50m breaststroke, with both having the chance to compete against Olympian Lacuna from ADMU in the respective events. Furthermore, Guevarra placed third and earned his team a bronze medal in the Men’s 400m individual medley event. Meanwhile, Lady Tanker Evangelista secured a bronze in the Women’s 100m backstroke.
As for the 200m freestyle relay events, Green Tankers Claveria, Silvestre, M. Narciso, and Bautista clinched the gold with a time of 1:38.05, followed by ADMU and UP, respectively. The team of Glycel So, Carandang, Agustin, and Evangelista had a close finish with their rivals from Katipunan as they placed second with only a few milliseconds to spare, clocking in at 1:56.00 and 1:56.52, respectively.
Day four
On the final day, the Green Tankers started the competition strong, with Silvestre winning a gold in the Men’s 50m backstroke with a time of 29.07. In the same event in the women’s division, Evangelista copped third place as she went against ADMU’s Gray and Ariana Herranz. ADMU and UP continued to nab podium finishes as they placed first in the men’s and women’s 200m breaststroke event, respectively.
The Green-and-White bagged individual awards for both divisions in the 50m freestyle event, with Silvestre and Evangelista both earning silver medals. Lastly, Gamalliel Torres, Robby Agustin, Guevarra, and M. Narciso claimed silver medals in the 400m medley relay, with a finishing time of 4:05.25, swimming alongside the ADMU Blue Eagles who finished in 4:03.98.
Individual awards
As the four-day swim meet came to an end, Ateneo maintained their title as champions, sweeping away individual awards in both the men’s and women’s division. ADMU’s Miguel Barlisan was awarded Rookie of the Year, while his teammate, Jessie Lacuna, was awarded Most Valuable Player. Likewise, Kirsten Daos of the champion team was granted both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.
Armed with a strong performance by team captain Benjo Narciso, the continued ascent of Alkhaldi for the Green Tankers, as well as Evangelista and Mendoza’s favorable feat for the Lady Tankers, both teams are hopeful to conquer greater waters in the seasons to come.
With the Green Tankers maintaining their podium finish and the Lady Tankers ending just a notch below, the DLSU Swimming Team continues to keep their heads up, looking to finally clinch gold next season. The team captain expresses his sentiments for the recently concluded season, sharing that his team showed heart until the end of the tournament. “We set our sights on the ultimate goal and fought for it till the end. The bonds we shared through this season is one of a kind. We’re like a band of little giants, taking on the best of the best. This year’s experiences will surely fuel the team’s thirst for that championship next year,” Narciso adds.
