Camille Naredo

The Ateneo Blue Eagles celebrate after winning the UAAP Season 88 men's swimming championship, November 9, 2025 at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac. UAAP Media

The Ateneo Blue Eagles celebrate after winning the UAAP Season 88 men's swimming championship, November 9, 2025 at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac.

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UAAP Season 88

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762685605809UAAP 88 Swimming - ATENEO - 01421.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Ateneo Blue Eagles celebrate after winning the UAAP Season 88 men&#x27;s swimming championship, November 9, 2025 at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac. UAAP Media"/>The Ateneo Blue Eagles celebrate after winning the UAAP Season 88 men&#x27;s swimming championship, November 9, 2025 at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac. UAAP Media</div>MANILA -- Ateneo de Manila University surged to its 10th straight UAAP men&#x27;s swimming championship, thanks to stellar performances from Miguel Barreto and TJ Amaro.The Blue Eagles claimed the Season 88 crown on Sunday at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac, tallying 471 points to dominate the competition.De La Salle University&#x27;s Green Tankers (294) finished as runner-up, while the University of Santo Tomas Tigersharks (224) edged out the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (214) for third place.In UAAP Swimming history, only two teams have ever posted a longer streak than Ateneo. UST claimed 12 straight men&#x27;s division titles from Seasons 19 to 30 during the 1950s–1960s. More recently, Ateneo itself had an 11-peat in the boys&#x27; division from Seasons 68 to 78.Ateneo can possibly match or surpass these records in the coming years, as their core still includes sophomore Barreto and freshman Amaro.&quot;Even after we got the seventh and eighth championships, we were already looking forward na we wanted to get that tenth,&quot; said Ateneo swimming program director Archie Lim. &quot;But hindi siya parang you would think syempre na we can just keep winning the championships, but syempre meron siyang ibang struggles and may iba naging problema.&quot;But I think we overcame that and really, it&#x27;s the team naman talaga,&quot; he added.Barreto, who had already collected four golds and a silver in the first three days to secure his repeat MVP, stepped aside on the final day to let his teammates shine.&quot;Itong MVP na ito, actually hindi naman sa hindi ko in-eexpect, pero nandiyan kasi sila TJ, one of the best,&quot; said the 21-year-old sophomore. &quot;Siya yung pinaka tight competition ko pagdating dito. Siguro during the preparation for this season, yes inisip ko yung MVP and all, pero okay lang sa akin kahit ano mangyari if sa teammate ko mapupunta.&quot;Thankfully, nahanap ko pa rin yung spark para mag-enjoy and para makuha itong MVP,&quot; he added.Amaro shone in the men&#x27;s 50-meter freestyle, zooming past the competition to claim his third gold medal in 23.59 seconds, sealing his Rookie of the Year honor. UST&#x27;s rookie duo of Zach Belen (24.03) and Marcus De Kam (24.12) completed the podium.Ivo Enot also delivered for Ateneo, winning the men&#x27;s 50-meter backstroke in 26.94 seconds, ahead of DLSU&#x27;s Estifano Ramos (27.17) and UST&#x27;s Belen (27.29).In the men&#x27;s 200-meter butterfly, Ateneo senior Marco Daos (2:09.14) led rookie teammate Paolo Labanon (2:10.15) to a 1-2 finish, with UST&#x27;s Ivan Radovan (2:13.44) taking bronze.The Blue Eagles capped their historic Season 88 run with a final victory in the men&#x27;s 400-meter medley relay. Enot, Ace Espiritu, Rafael Barreto, and Charles Ticbaen touched the wall in 3:54.47 to hold off UP (3:54.96) and DLSU (3:57.71).&quot;If you think about it, &#x27;yon ang maganda na each season has a story nga. There were seasons na aminin ko na medyo dominating na talagang we were going for all the goals, and like you mentioned nga, there was one time na 12 lang kami or actually less pa nga, but we overcame that,&quot; Lim said.&quot;I think it&#x27;s really more of the system. Hindi naman sa less complicated, but we try to break it up and nandiyan yung training, nandiyan na yung recruitment, and nandiyan na yung retention, even the coaches and of course the Ateneo support. I think all the support goes on to this &#x27;ten-peat,&#x27;&quot; he furthered.Amid Ateneo&#x27;s dominance, Fighting Maroon Geoffrey Liberato swept the breaststroke events, claiming his third gold in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:22.93, ahead of UST&#x27;s JM Arca (2:25.50) and Ateneo rookie Juan Alessandro Suarez (2:27.07).

Ateneo de Manila University surged to its 10th straight UAAP men's swimming championship, thanks to stellar performances from Miguel Barreto and TJ Amaro.

Ateneo de Manila University surged to its 10th straight UAAP men's swimming championship, thanks to stellar performances from Miguel Barreto and TJ Amaro.

UAAP: Ateneo men extend dynasty, win 10th straight swimming crown

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UAAP: Ateneo men extend dynasty, win 10th straight swimming crown

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 09, 2025 06:57 PM PHT

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Updated Nov 09, 2025 06:58 PM PHT

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