Davao City's standout swimmers, Ivo Nikolai Enot and Lora Micah Amoguis, created significant ripples for Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) in the recently concluded University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 swimming competition held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
Both Dabawenyos secured second place in the overall individual rankings for junior boys and girls, contributing to AdMU's second-place standing in the team rankings.
The 17-year-old Enot amassed 88 points, narrowly missing the MVP title by just one point, as Renz Kenneth Santos of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) secured 89 points.
"It's kinda heartbreaking knowing the fact I was one point away from my MVP goal despite missing one individual medal in the 400m freestyle. Yet, it's OK since I am not a distance swimmer. It's a big achievement for me breaking the 4:22 barrier despite of not training in a distance swim program," he told SunStar Davao in a Facebook Messenger interview.
Enot collected four gold medals in junior boys 50-meter, 100m, and 200m backstroke and 100m freestyle events, adding silvers in 200m individual medley (IM) and overall boys team division, along with a bronze in 200m freestyle.
He said, "It feels great to harvest a total of six individual medals this Uaap season and I can actually tell that I improved this season compared to last season since I broke some of my personal times."
The Dabawenyo athlete, who secured seven individual medals and an MVP trophy in Season 85, revealed his initial concerns about placing fourth in the preliminary round of his first event, the 100m freestyle. However, he bounced back in the finals, breaking the 54-second barrier and deeming it his most memorable event of the year.
"This season's performance was actually great after breaking four of my personal best records and bringing home six individual medals and one overall team medal," Enot said.
Beyond medals
Amoguis secured three gold medals (200m IM, 200m freestyle, and 200m backstroke) and three silvers (100m backstroke, 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle), securing the second position in the overall individual rankings for the junior girls division with a total of 87 points. Patricia Mae Santor of UST claimed the top spot with 96 points.
"I think medals don’t define how much improvement I have gotten compared to last season. In terms of performance, I have gotten a lot of good swims this season and it shows that in the end, my competition is myself but my competitors push me to do better," she said.
Expressing her contentment with the season, Amoguis revealed that her passion for swimming has grown, especially as she competed with fellow swimmers who share the same love for the sport.
The 200m IM, according to her, was her most memorable event as she bagged the gold during the first day of the swimfest.
She noted, "I consider that event to be one of my main events but the hardest to improve, so improving 2 seconds has given me enough satisfaction that my training for these past months was worth it."
Grateful for the support she received, the decorated Dabawenya tanker extended her thanks to her family, coaches, and teammates. She acknowledged their encouragement as a driving force, motivating her through a physically and mentally challenging season.
Her young sister Liaa Margarette, meanwhile, made an impressive Uaap debut by copping the junior girls 800m freestyle gold, along with silver medals in the 400m freestyle and 400m IM.
Top seniors
In the senior men's division, Dabawenyo Joshua Raphael del Rio from AdMU and UST's Jules Mervien Mirandilla shared the sixth spot, each accumulating 43 points in the overall individual rankings.
Meanwhile, Davao City's Palarong Pambansa champion, Juliana Marien Villanueva, made a splash in her UAAP debut, securing the eighth spot in the senior women's individual rankings alongside De La Salle University's (DLSU's) Hannah Drelyn Sanchez, both boasting identical scores of 42 points.
Villanueva's stellar performance included gold medals in the senior women's 800m and 400m freestyle, along with contributing to her team's success in the 4X200m freestyle relay, earning them a bronze.
"I'd say for my first Uaap, I really enjoyed it. I liked the competitive yet friendly atmosphere throughout the competition," Villanueva said. "As for my performance, I'd say I did a lot better than what I initially expected and I have my family, teammates, and coaches to thank for their unwavering support."
Despite initial nervousness, she found the experience to be enjoyable
AdMU (405) and UP (435) ruled the senior men's and women's team rankings, respectively.
Proud Durians
Davao coach Sam Alcos posted on his Facebook a group photo of some Dabawenyo swimmers, who have brought home honors to their home city in previous national and international competitions and represented their respective universities in the Uaap swimming competition.
In the photo are AdMU's Enot, Lora and Liaa Amoguis, Matthieu Tao, Maiki Samantha Gonzaga, and Del Rio; DLSU's John Paul Elises and Philip Sahagun; UP. MLSA