THE UST Junior Tigersharks ruled the juniors’ division of the UAAP swimming tournament for the third consecutive time, bagging gold in boys’ and girls’ swimming in Season 86.
UST has won three straight titles in the high school swimming competitions dating back to Season 82 in 2019. No swimming tournaments were held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Junior Tigersharks bagged their eighth golden double, the most in UAAP history.
UST accumulated 711 points in the boys’ division, while their girls’ counterparts amassed 557 points.
Both the Junior Male and Female Tigersharks racked up four golds, three silvers and two bronzes on the final day of the tournament. Through four days of play, their gold-silver-bronze medal tallies were 15-14-13 and 15-9-8, respectively.
UST’s quartet of Yohana Cabana, Joaquin Mirasol, Hugh Parto and Emmanuel Austria reset the UAAP record in the 400-meter relay after registering a record of 4:03.68.
Ivan Radovan (gold), Hugh Parto (silver) and Renz Santos (bronze) powered UST’s podium sweep of the 200-meter butterfly event.
Mirasol and Kaden Sy secured the gold and silver medals in the 200-meter breaststroke event.
Marcus de Kam (gold), Santos (silver) and Jabrielle Delizo (bronze) rounded out another podium sweep by UST in the 50-meter freestyle event.
In girls’ play, Junior Female Tigersharks Ishaelle Villa, Clara de los Santos, Sinagtala Cuevas and Laureen Daiz logged 4:39.39 and set a new UAAP record in the 400-meter relay team event.
Sealtiel Daiz (gold), Patricia Santor (silver), and De los Santos (bronze) led the Junior Tigersharks’ third podium sweep of the day in the 200-meter breaststroke event.
Junior Female Tigersharks Villa (gold), Raina Leyran (silver), and Gerice Oyaman (bronze) swept the 50-meter freestyle event.
Santor, last year’s Rookie of the Year, and Sinagtala Cuevas reaped the gold and silver medals in the 200-meter butterfly event.
Santor and Santos won the MVP plums in the girls’ and boys’ divisions.
This is the second three-peat golden double achieved by UST in UAAP swimming. The last time spanned from 2002 to 2004 in Season 65 to Season 67.
The crowns also marked the Junior Male Tigersharks’ fifth boys’ title in six seasons and the Junior Female Tigersharks’ fifth girls’ championship in eight seasons.
