THIS rookie played like a true veteran.
Franz Marquez, a freshman student from the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA), almost singlehandedly carried the Male Tigersharks to another fourth-place finish in the UAAP swimming tournament at the Trace College Aquatic Center in Los Baños, Laguna last Sept. 19 to 22.
The 18-year-old tanker collected one gold (100-m breastroke), four silvers (200-m individual medley, 200-m breaststroke, 400-m freestyle and 400-m individual medley) and a bronze medal (200-m butterfly), contributing heavily to the team’s 175-point output in the four-day competition. The men’s team ended up with one gold, five silvers and two bronze medals.
Despite his solid performance, Marquez was unable to break the 4:43.11 record in the 400-m individual medley, something that disappointed him since he trained the longest for that event. He finished second (4:48.46) behind two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Johanssen Aguilar of De La Salle University.
“I trained a lot for the event (400-m individual medley) and I really wanted to get the first place. Most of the swimmers don’t like to compete in it because it’s painful. Sadly, I was seconds shy of beating [the record],” said Marquez, who also swims for the national team.
Runs in the blood
Swimming, especially for the Thomasian community, is something familiar to the Marquez clan.
Franz’ sister, Liane, is a former Female Tigershark and UAAP MVP. She was also a part of the UST women’s swimming team which recorded a remarkable four-straight championships in 2009.
His brother, Louie, also played for the Male Tigersharks for five years and won a championship on his last year.
The Thomasian lineage led Marquez to choose UST over other schools such as La Salle, Ateneo de Manila University and San Beda College.
“One school was just waiting for my confirmation then I can already play for them. Before entering college, my siblings advised me to choose what I think was best for me, so I picked UST,” he said.
For everything he’s achieved on only his first playing year, how could Marquez miss the Rookie of the Year (ROY) award?
Marquez took a one-year hiatus before entering college, something not allowed by the UAAP. This caused the league to give the ROY plum to Christen Mercado of the University of the Philippines.
“I thought of going to the States for a scholarship that’s why I stopped for a year. One of my goals was to win the ROY award, but I didn’t. I told myself that it’s just an award and what’s important is to give pride to the University,” he said.
The Quezon native started the winning tradition early, met bumps along the way, but managed, through determination and discipline, to succeed.
He first competed when he was eight years old and immediately won a gold medal in an invitational meet, but Marquez then suffered a drought in his career, unable to land even a third-place finish in the competitions he participated in.
It did not stop him from trying, until his efforts paid off and Trace High School gave him a chance in 2007.
Marquez got his groove back thereafter, winning in different high school tournaments and even respresenting the country in swimming contests in Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea and Australia.
As a pre-game ritual, Marquez “visualizes” his performance in the pool.
“The night before my game, I always imagine how I will perform. I don’t get intimidated even if I’m competing with popular players,” he said.
Being the “rookie sensation” in a rookie-laden team, Marquez is expected to steer the Male Tigersharks in the coming years. “After every competition, I care not about winning or losing but about what I have contributed.”
