The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazing Torpedoes defended their silver crowns in both men’s and women’s divisions of the #NCAA100 Swimming Tournament, hosted by the Jose Rizal University (JRU), on Dec. 10 to 13, at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila City.
The Blazing Torpedoes hauled an impressive medal tally of 3 golds, 15 silver, and 12 bronzes. Ryan Emmanuel Suarez shattered the NCAA men’s 1500m freestyle record, clocking in at 17:17.71 seconds surpassing the previous record of 17:22.07.
Meanwhile, Manuel Victor Perez made waves as he also smashed another NCAA record with 53.41 seconds, edging the previous record of 53.51 seconds in the men’s 100m freestyle previously set by fellow Benildean Joco Delizo.
In an exclusive interview with The Benildean, Mikee Gloria, a member of the women’s 4x100 silver medal relay team, illustrated how she prepared for the centennial season, “I stopped training for almost four months [due to a shoulder injury], so coming back to training was very hard for me. I am proud to say that I improved and achieved my best times, even though I stopped, I was able to perform well and I’m proud of that and I would like to thank my coaches and physical therapists for helping me achieve my goal,” she said.
Team Captain and NCAA men’s 100m freestyle holder Perez also shared his preparation with his leadership role, “Since I am the captain, I need to set the bar high for my teammates and show them, both as a person and as a team captain, sakin dapat magsisimula ‘yung kung paano magtraining [at] paano magrecover well. I hope we were able to show the Benildean community over the last four days kung gaano kami nagtrabaho for the last year.”
Blazing Torpedoes Head Coach Raphael Evan Grabador expressed his gratitude to the Benildean community, saying, “I would like to thank all the Benildean na pumunta at nagdasal at nakisigaw dito sa NCAA Swimming Championships.”
Looking ahead to Season 101, the lead tactician shared the team’s vision, “We have to start fresh again this coming January. We’re researching some new ideas, new techniques, and new programs para maging creative and fun, and we’re also intaking more recruitments para sa next NCAA.”
The Blazing Torpedoes clinched the first runner-up title for the second consecutive year in both the men’s and women’s divisions with the La Salle Greenhills Swim Team also securing first place in Junior’s division.
