By Soleina Vasquez

The Ateneo Blue Eagles asserted their presence early in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 swimming campaign, securing an early slate of podium finishes — 1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze — at the New Clark City Aquatics Center on Thursday, November 6.

The standout performance of the day came from Girls’ Team Captain Trixie Ortiguera, who shattered the UAAP record in the 100m freestyle with a blazing 59.02, dropping under the previous 59.97 mark set by Camille Lauren Buico from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 2018. 

Other Eagles also contributed heavily to the medal haul, as Ateneo claimed silvers in both 200m medley relays, with the boys’ team of Rafael Lentejas III, Miguel Luis Martinez, Gabe Gaw, and Zion Rupert Jalla finishing in 1:50.59. Meanwhile, the girls’ squad of Aliya Jessamine Tondo, Anaia Mikaela Lim, Simone Kyle Arianne Cruz, and Sharlene Andrea Go clocked 2:09.50.

In individual events, Martinez earned bronze in the 100m freestyle with 55.29. Lentejas added bronze in the 200m individual medley (IM) at 2:17.80, while Kleone Mole took bronze in the 800m freestyle with 10:01.98.

Distance relays also kept Ateneo’s currents surging as the boys’ 800m freestyle team of Jalla, Lentejas, Iñigo Joaquin Bascuña, and Edgar Antonio Gaston took silver at 8:47.43. The girls’ lineup of Eunice De Guzman, Julianna Casillan, Athena Feliciano, and Megan Zinyi Tong then secured bronze in 10:31.53.

With days still ahead in competition, the Blue Tankers are gearing up to build on their opening momentum and push harder toward the championship.

Boys’ Team Captain Gaw shared, “We’re very motivated. We’ve got a lot of good swimmers coming in this year, especially the juniors. The seniors are very well prepared and we’re really going for the championship this year.” 

“We’ve always been encouraging each other and pushing each other to do our best,” Gaw added. “We’ll do our best to represent the team.”

The championships are held daily until Sunday, November 9, with the tournament starting at 8:00 a.m. across multiple categories.