The Ateneo de Davao University-led Unit 6 made a literal splash at the two-day Davao City Athletic Association (Dcaa) swimming meet, sweeping 33 golds, 27 silvers, and 20 bronzes at the Davao del Sur Sports Complex in Digos City over the weekend.
Eleven-year-olds Juan Raphael Estanislao and Cassiel Auvene R. Cabico led the charge. Estanislao claimed six golds, driving the elementary boys’ team to seven golds, five silvers, and six bronzes. Cabico matched his six golds and added a silver, helping the elementary girls’ squad rack up 14 golds and seven silvers.
Juan Raphael Estanislao:
Rising star sweeps Dcaa
Estanislao began swimming at five, initially fearful of the water but drawn to the beach and sand play. “I started swimming not knowing I would become a champion,” he said. Encouraged by a family of swimmers, his father and several uncles, he wanted to carry forward their legacy.
He first competed in the city eliminations in March 2024 but left without a medal. In the February 2025 Dcaa Meet, he earned one gold, one silver, and one bronze. His six-gold sweep at the recently concluded Dcaa Meet marked a major breakthrough.
Estanislao clinched the golds in boys' 50-meter and 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle, and the 4x100m freestyle relay with teammates John Vincent Canovas, Zac Marcus Guyo, and Caleb Jaspher Mencidor. “Winning is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. Being at the top isn’t about bragging, it’s an achievement for yourself,” he said.
Reflecting on his journey, he added, “I fought hard for the top, and I want to tell everyone that winning is never going to be easy. This win is for God, my family, and myself to keep pushing in this athletic world. My ultimate dream is to break records and be an Olympian.”
Cassiel Auvene R. Cabico:
From soccer to swim champ
Cabico began swimming at age eight after initially trying soccer. Her grandparents, experienced swimming coaches, guided her into the sport. “I ended up in swimming because it runs in the family, and the environment and support were already there,” she said.
She captured the golds in 50m and 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m breaststroke, and the 4x100m medley and freestyle relays with teammates Georgia Summer Peñeiro, Kezaiah Grace Eguia, and Joguylen Sohier, and silver in the 200m individual medley.
“I feel very happy and thankful because all the hard training and sacrifices paid off," Cabico said. "I felt nervous because Davao swimmers are really tough, but I lifted everything to the Lord and focused.”
Her earlier Dcaa journey started in February 2025 in Tagum, Davao del Norte, where she earned silver in the 50m freestyle, bronze in the 50m butterfly and 200m IM, and finished fourth in the 100m freestyle. “This win is for everyone who sacrificed to support me—my family, my coaches."
"My dream is to break a national record someday,” she added.
The rest of U6 medalists
Unit 6 continued its dominance across both elementary and secondary divisions at the DCAA Meet. In the elementary boys’ events, John Vincent Canovas earned bronze in the 200-meter freestyle and claimed silver in the 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter freestyle, and 100-meter butterfly. Arch Rafael Ontoy added multiple medals, capturing bronze in the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and 50-meter backstroke, along with silver in the 100-meter backstroke. The relay teams also delivered, with Canovas, Carlos Enriquez, Gavin Mark Ko, Lance Castro, and Genesis Framar Aglibut taking silver in the 4x50-meter freestyle relay, while Ontoy, Ko, Aglibut, and Crius Jaff Daomilang touched bronze in the 4x100-meter medley relay.
The elementary girls carried the momentum. Georgia Summer Peñeiro powered through the 50-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and 100-meter butterfly for gold and touched silver in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke. Kezaiah Grace Eguia swam to gold in the 200-meter freestyle and added silver in the 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly, while Joguylen Sohier earned gold in the 100-meter and 50-meter backstroke and silver in the 400-meter freestyle and 100-meter breaststroke. Carinne Estelle Rosete, Ella Sophia Dacanay, Cairistiona Relampagos, and Jazmine Denise Obcena combined forces to win gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, and Rosete, Dacanay, Sophia Raphael Amacio, and Nikkie Julienne Raymundo touched silver in the 4x200-meter medley relay.
Secondary boys added nine golds, 12 silvers, and eight bronzes, powered by standout performances from Archibald Nicolas Lonzaga, who claimed three golds and two silvers; Almar Christian de Leon, with two golds and three silvers; and Keane Alberto Alpiz, who secured one gold and three silvers. Relay teams showcased teamwork, with Antony Godfrey Acedo, Alpiz, Dennis Aaron Bacala, and de Leon winning the 4x100-meter medley relay, and Acedo, Bacala, de Leon, and Karl Andrei Santa Cruz taking the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Alpiz, Lonzaga, Ryker Zeke Peñeiro, and Santa Cruz also captured gold in the 4x50-meter medley relay.
Individual events highlighted the squad’s range. Acedo earned bronze in the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and 100-meter butterfly, plus silver in the 400-meter individual medley. Alpiz powered through the 200-meter breaststroke for gold and collected silvers in the 100-meter backstroke, 50-meter breaststroke, and 100-meter breaststroke. Bacala earned bronze in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, while de Leon grabbed gold in the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke and added silvers in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley. Lonzaga dominated backstroke and butterfly events, taking gold in the 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke, and 50-meter butterfly, silver in the 200-meter backstroke, and 50-meter freestyle. Additional relay bronzes came from Peñeiro and Emmanuel John Eguia.
The secondary girls contributed three golds and three silvers, led by Maise Vernice Labog, who won one gold and two silvers, and Sophia Michaela Maquilan, who earned one gold and one silver. The 4x100-meter freestyle relay team of Mardrey Cabico, Ayesha Colleen Amador, Dana Margarette Maygro, and Luana Elise Padilla clinched gold, cementing the girls’ strong finish for Unit 6. MLSA