Davao City Swimmers Excel in UAAP
Davao City Swimmers Excel in UAAP, Ivo Nikolai Enot and Lora Micah Amoguis, made a significant impact for Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) in the UAAP Season 86 swimming competition. Held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, both Dabawenyos clinched second place in the overall individual rankings for junior boys and girls, contributing to AdMU’s second-place team standing. Despite narrowly missing the MVP title by one point, 17-year-old Ivo Nikolai Enot earned 88 points, with Renz Kenneth Santos of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) securing the top spot with 89 points.
“It’s somewhat disheartening to realize I fell just one point short of my MVP goal, especially considering the absence of an individual medal in the 400m freestyle. However, it’s okay given that distance swimming isn’t my forte. Breaking the 4:22 barrier is a significant accomplishment for me, considering I haven’t trained in a distance swim program,” expressed Enot in an interview with SunStar Davao via Facebook Messenger.
Enot secured four gold medals in the junior boys 50-meter, 100m, and 200m backstroke, as well as the 100m freestyle events. He also earned silver in the 200m individual medley (IM) and the overall boys team division, along with a bronze in the 200m freestyle.
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Reflecting on his achievements, he stated, “It feels great to collect a total of six individual medals this UAAP season. I can genuinely say that I improved compared to last season, breaking some of my personal records.”
The Dabawenyo athlete, who clinched seven individual medals and an MVP trophy in Season 85, shared his initial apprehensions after placing fourth in the preliminary round of his debut event, the 100m freestyle. Despite these concerns, he made a remarkable comeback in the finals, breaking the 54-second barrier and labeling it as his most memorable event of the year.
“This season’s performance was truly outstanding, as I managed to break four of my personal best records and secure six individual medals along with one overall team medal,” remarked Enot.
Amoguis secured three gold medals (200m IM, 200m freestyle, and 200m backstroke) and three silvers (100m backstroke, 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle), placing second 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
Reflecting on her performance, Amoguis emphasized that medals don’t solely define her improvement compared to the previous season.
She highlighted the importance of personal growth, stating, “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.”
Expressing contentment with the season, Amoguis shared that her passion for swimming has deepened, especially as she competed with fellow swimmers who share the same love for the sport.
The 200m IM stood out as her most memorable event, securing gold on the first day of the swimfest. She acknowledged the event’s significance, noting, “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 received, the decorated Dabawenya tanker extended her thanks to her family, coaches, and teammates, recognizing their encouragement as a driving force that motivated her through a physically and mentally challenging season.
Her younger sister, Liaa Margarette, made an impressive UAAP debut by winning the junior girls 800m freestyle gold, along with silver medals in the 400m freestyle and 400m IM.
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.
Davao City’s Palarong Pambansa champion, Juliana Marien Rodriguez, 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.
Rodriguez’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.
Reflecting on her first UAAP experience, Rodriguez expressed, “I’d say for my first UAAP, I really enjoyed it. I liked the competitive yet friendly atmosphere throughout the competition.
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) dominated the senior men’s and women’s team rankings, respectively.
