IMPRESSIVE as they have always been, the UST Female Tiger Sharks emerged champions anew in the UAAP Swimming tournament last Sept. 22-25 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium swimming pool.
“I was not expecting this win, but I was hoping for it,” head coach and former RP team swimmer Cyrus Alcantara said. “Before the game, I told them we had a chance no matter how tough our competitors were. I told them not to give up and they all played well.”
With 244 points, including eight gold, 11 silver, and three bronze medals, the women’s team successfully kept top opponents University of the Philippines (UP) and the De La Salle University at bay. UP closed the tournament with 200 points, while Season 66 champion La Salle finished third with 166 points.
Rookie of the Year (ROY) Josephine Pilapil hauled six gold medals for UST. The Palawan native dominated the 100-meter freestyle, registering 1:03.07. Pilapil also bagged the gold in the 200-meter breast stroke, clocking in at 2:54.18, closely pulling away from teammate Lovelyn Tuatis, who timed in at 2:54.99. She also topped the 50-meter breaststroke, 50-meter individual medley (IM), 200-meter freestyle, and 100-meter breaststroke events. Tuatis, meanwhile, captured the silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 2:38.22, behind MVP Luica Dacanay of UP, whose time of 2:24.95 broke her previous record. Tuatis was also second in the 200-meter breaststroke with 2:54.99 and the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke with 38.06 seconds and 1:21.40.
Sophomore splasher Regina Fatima Amago also contributed to UST’s medal haul after capturing the gold in the 100-meter backstroke with 1:10.66, two seconds short of breaking Dacanay’s record set last year. Amago also topped the 50-meter backstroke with 32.97.
Apryl Herrera, Jackielou Villagracia, and Meytha Belo also strengthened UST’s Season 68 campaign.
Not far behind
The Tiger Sharks retained second place with 225 points, including two gold, 11 silver, and eight bronze medals, behind defending champion UP ‘s 304 points.
Tiger Shark Louie Marquez clocked 4:52.97 to top the 400-meter IM, keeping his record in the event for three straight years now. The UST team captain also captured a silver in the 200-meter freestyle with 2:04.24, just a second shy of MVP rookie Michaelmars Danila. He also finished second in the 200-meter IM and the 50-meter backstroke and contributed three bronze medals.
Another bright spot for the España-based tankers was Januario Nazareno, who added a bulk of silver finishes for UST. Nazareno placed second in the 400, 800, and 1500-meter freestyle.
Jairus Diel Agoncillo contributed two silvers, while last season’s Rookie of the Year (ROY) Geeno Galac added two bronzes.
Billy Jene Lacuna, Christian O, and Kristian Libat also contributed to UST’s medal haul.
In the Juniors division, UST placed last in both the boys and girls events. But Thomasian Edlyn Son shone, capturing the ROY and MVP plums.
