After aggressively training for this year’s competitions, the UP Swimming varsity team’s hard work finally paid off and bagged the double championship title in the recent UAAP Season 73 Swimming Competition held at the Trace Aquatics Center in Los Baños, Laguna from September 23 to September 26.
The men’s team garnered 201 points and beat their closest rivals University of Sto. Tomas (UST) and Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) which scored 194 point and 186 points, respectively. The UP Lady Tankers, on the other hand, reaped 263 points and defeated AdMU’s 249 points and De La Salle University’s 169 points.
UP’s Kendrick Uy collected three gold, three silver and one bronze medals and beat his old record (23.67 seconds) by finishing at 23.39 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle. Meanwhile, the UP Lady Tankers’ Jodie de Leon, Andeng Belludo, Marielle Infantado and Christine Grace Hipol’s win in the 400-meter medley relay event (clocking in at 4:53.23) gave UP its first pool championship.
Led by head coaches College of Human Kinetics Professor Noel Rivera (for the men’s team) and Bernie Cavida (for the women’s team) and assistant coaches Gianina Gonzales and Tummy Chua, the double championship titles are the swimming Maroons’ 16th overall title since the 1997 season.
The women’s team members are: Ma. Claire A. Adorna, Grace Kate Y. Asumbra, Andrea Lauren Belludo, Dennice Juliet Cordero, Judith Eliza Cruz, Jodie de Leon, Hadassah Louise Diaz, Jacqueline T. Gan, Carla Beatriz A. Grabador, Christine Grace M. Hipol, Maria Gabrielle Infantado, Jacklyn Judith B. Junio, Quinnie Mynette D. Lao, Klaudine Joyce G. Legaspi, Aphrodite B. Magbanlac, Ma. Josefina Isabel Meily, Ma. Margaret McRae, Stephanie C. Relampagos and Rory Tapang.
For the men’s team, the members are: Juan Teofilo Antonio B. Abejo, Alvin Gerald C. Alcover, Carlo D. Amorin, Manuel Bretana, Jake Aaron T. Chua Yap, Malco Alron S. Dacanay, Gerwin Domingo, Rafael Dominic Echiverri, Allan Luis P. Jovero, Jasper Jake C. Laguitao, Kenneth C. Landicho, Roy T. Lapiz, Orpheus B. Magbanlac, Karl Ivan Marcelo, Karlo Andreo F. Marfori, Jasper Victor M. Ong, Jerome S. Reluya, Carlo Nicklaus Z. Salazar, Kendrick Uy and Robert Steven Villanueva.