CAPAS, Tarlac — Under gloomy Sunday skies, Ateneo and La Salle produced record-breaking performances at the New Clark City Aquatic Center during Day 1 of the UAAP Swimming Championship as both teams made waves in the men’s and women’s relay events, setting new UAAP marks here.
Ateneo’s Ivo Enot, Rian Tirol, Victoriano Tirol IV, and Nathan Sason set the tone by dominating the men’s 4×50-meter Medley Relay with a blistering time of 1:45.31, shattering an eight-year-old record of 1:46.91.
The triumph marked the start of Ateneo’s bid for a ninth consecutive men’s division title.
The Blue Eagles collected four golds, two silvers, and two bronzes on Day 1, amassing 125 points to establish a commanding 56-point lead over La Salle.
DLSU, however, ensured Ateneo won’t take the spotlight by itself.
The Green Tankers stunned the crowd by breaking their own UAAP record in the Men’s 4×200-meter Freestyle Relay.
Alexander Chu, Josemaria Roldan, Bryce Barraza, and Reiniel Lagman clocked in at 8:00.19, eclipsing their previous mark of 8:03.47.
Ateneo’s dominance remained evident in the men’s 100-meter Freestyle, where their standouts swept the top four positions.
Rafael Barreto led the charge (52.84), followed by Juan Marco Daos (52.90), Ivo Enot (53.09), and Charles Ticbaen (53.53).
Ateneo’s rookie Miguel Barreto made a stellar debut, claiming gold in the men’s 800-meter Freestyle with a time of 8:33.28. La Salle’s Chu (8:38.94) and Daos (8:45.39) rounded out the podium.
Barreto continued his winning streak in the men’s 200-meter Individual Medley, clocking 2:07.79 to outpace Green Tanker Ted Laminta (2:11.42) and Maroon Geoffrey Liberato (2:13.31).
Competing in the UAAP had been a long-time goal for the younger Barreto.
In the women’s division, defending champion University of the Philippines faced stiff competition from Ateneo and La Salle.
Ateneo’s Samantha Coronel, Sofia Isip, Maiki Gonzaga, and Kirsten Manuel set a new record of 2:01.83 in the women’s 4×50-meter Medley Relay, breaking last year’s mark of 2:02.29.
La Salle’s Hannah Sanchez, Samantha Banas, Dianna Cruz, and Raven Alcoseba made their mark in the women’s 4×200-meter Freestyle Relay, clocking 9:06.64—a massive improvement after their disqualification last season.
Rookie Mikaela Talosig of La Salle shone in the women’s 800-meter Freestyle, touching the wall at 9:33.38, ahead of teammate Alcoseba (9:42.05) and UP’s Athena Chang (9:49.19).
Meanwhile, Ateneo’s Mishka Sy clinched her first gold medal in the women’s 200-meter Individual Medley with a time of 2:25.74. UST’s Shairinne Floriano (2:27.08) and Talosig (2:30.21) completed the podium.
Despite the strong showings by Ateneo and Salle, UP ended the day on top of the standings in the women’s division with one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, totaling 84 points. DLSU trailed closely with 76 points, while Ateneo was third with 65 points.
UP team captain Camille Buico defended her crown in the women’s 100-meter Freestyle with a time of 59.84 seconds. Ateneo’s Sy (1:00.07) and UST’s Alyza Ng (1:00.18) finished second and third, respectively.
Buico expressed satisfaction despite the challenges her team faced.
“It’s very fulfilling din na I am able to do this for my team. Pero kanina sobrang kinakabahan ako with all the changes [like] time changes, the weather, the change of venue,” she said.
