After three days of competition from Dec. 1 to 3, the NCAA Season 98 swimming competition, hosted by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), concluded with the Benilde Blazing Torpedoes finishing with 19 medals.
The third day of competition began with the women’s 800-meter Freestyle, where Blazing Torpedo Eanna Cheng placed fifth at 11:18.23 while Mary Joyce Curia and Amber Tongson finished eighth and ninth place, respectively, with the time of 11:43.30 and 11:55.51.
The team, composed of Jose Paulo Ricafrente, Kevin Vidal, Darwin Joshua Avillanoza, and Anfer Duke Tagao, placed second in the men’s 400-meter Medley Relay with a final time of 4:21.54. Meanwhile, Ella Gonzalvo, Tongson, Gaby Gonzalvo, and Anne Margaret Cabanatan also got second place in the women’s 400-meter Medley Relay, finishing at 5:11.82.
For the 200-meter Butterfly, Marione Patrick Barcelon and Avillanoza finished seventh and eighth with the time of 2:28.12 and 2:31.70, respectively. Tagao placed ninth after a 2:36.36 minute finish. In the same category, Madelaine Gonzalvo got a podium finish at third with 2:48.94, while Curia finished fourth with 2:49.10.
The Blazing Torpedoes dashed through the fast-paced 50-meter freestyle, with team captain Charles Licardo bagging second place after a 25.14-second finish. Dan Leyba and Kyle Kenn Cuenca also scored points for Benilde after finishing ninth and 12th at 25.86 seconds and 26.48 seconds. For the women’s division of the same category, Cabanatan got the last podium spot after a 29.77-second finish, while Ella Gonzalvo and Cheng went fifth and 13th, respectively, after going 29.98 and 32.11 seconds.
Vidal and Aaron Alagban finished fifth and eighth, respectively in the men’s 100-meter Breaststroke with a time of 1:12.55 and 1:16.14, while Cuenca was disqualified for the category. Tongson placed fifth in the women’s division after a 1:27.67 finish, while Alyssa Mae Dacaday and Cabanatan got the seventh and eighth place after a close 1:30.43 and 1.30.47 finish.
Benilde’s Leyba shined in the men’s 200-meter Backstroke after bagging the gold medal at 2:18.84, beating three San Beda University swimmers. Tagao and Ricafrente also contributed points for the team after placing sixth and 12th with the time of 2:28.14 and 2:34.81, respectively. For the women’s division, Eya Tumbokon finished fourth at 2:50.39, while Ella Gonzalvo bagged fifth place with 2:51.22. Cheng was placed ninth in the same division after finishing at 2:59.13.
For the last event, the 200-meter Freestyle Relay, Licardo, Cuenca, Leyba, and Ricafrente of the men’s division got second place with a time of 1:41.87. In the women’s division, Madeleine Gonzalvo, Cabanatan, Tumbokon, and Ella Gonzalvo also finished second with 2:00.62.
The Benilde Blazing Torpedoes garnered two gold, eight silver, and nine bronze medals after the three-day event. Read more about the event’s first day here.
