Monday, January 28, 2008 Lots of gold, but less points, for Blue Marlins
THE Cebu Blue Marlins (CBM) of UC Coach Rolando Alvarez gathered a heap of gold medals, but ended only at third place in a tournament that uses a point system.
The team only had 20 swimmers while top-two finishers, Aqua Sports Swimming Club and the Iloilo Sea Warriors Swimming Club, fielded 39 and 36, respectively, in the 1st Dinagyang 2008 Age Group Swimfest in Ilo-Ilo City.
Four Blue Marlins also got the outstanding swimmers in their respective categories.
The CBM finished with 26 gold, 25 silver and 28 bronze medals, hauling a total of 3,765 points.
Aqua Sports Swimming Club of Ilo-Ilo collected 37-31-24 with 4,717 total points. The Ilo-Ilo Sea Warriors Swimming Club took 22-34-36 medals with a total of 4,664 points.
Alvarez said they gathered more golds than the Sea Warriors, but ended behind them since the latter had deployed 36 athletes.
He explained that for winners from first to eighth places, points are distributed as follows: 50, 30, 20, 15, 14, 13, 12 and 11.
“We lacked in manpower then we don’t have any entry in three age brackets, in the boys and girls 13-14 category and 18 Above girls category,” he said. Being short of players in these categories robbed them of about a thousand points despite snatching the golds in most events.
Siblings Anthonly Linn and Lyh Ann Navarro of Cebu Eastern College and University of Cebu’s Paula Abigail Vega and Noel Cañeda were named most outstanding swimmers in their respective categories.
Anthony Linn was named most outstanding swimmer in the boys 9-10 category and the most outstanding junior developmental swimmer in the boys 10-Under category. He collected a total of nine gold medals after dishing out three gold medals in the last event in 400m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle in the 9-10 boys.
His sister Lyh Ann was also named most outstanding swimmer in the girls 7-8 category, finishing with three golds and two silvers.
Vega, who collected six golds, five silvers, and three bronze medals, was also the recipient of two awards as the most outstanding swimmer in the 15-17 and the most outstanding juniors in the 13-Over for girls. She also took three golds in the 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle in the last day of the competition in the 15-17 girls category.
Cañeda was the fourth Blue Marlin to grab the most outstanding swimmer award in the 15-17 category with 4-5-3 medals. Cañeda ruled the boys 15-17 200m freestyle, had a silver in 100m butterfly and bronze in 50m freestyle.
Other swimmers who contributed medals in the last day were Beth May Arellano who took the gold in the girls 9-10 400m freestyle, a silver in the 50m backstroke and a bronze in the 50m freestyle; Israel David snatched three silvers (400m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle) and Josephous Rusiana contributed a bronze medal for the CBM in the 18 Over. (NSM)
