University of the Philippines kept up its onslaught of stellar performances during the final day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 women’s swimming championships on Sunday at the Teofilo Yldefonso Aquatic Center in Manila.
Gathering a total of 11 golds, eight silvers, and eight bronze medals for 433 points, the Lady Maroons’ campaign also featured two new UAAP records to win their first title since 2016.
Quendy Fernandez cemented her status as the tournament’s best swimmer by bringing home both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.
She dominated the women’s 50m backstroke event with a time of 29.87 seconds, just two-hundredths of a second shy of the UAAP record she established during the preliminaries.
Teammate Regina Castrillo clinched the silver medal at 30.77 seconds while University of Santo Tomas’ Jan Sarmiento took home the bronze in 31.26 seconds.
“I didn’t expect the outcome but I’m blessed and thankful with the result. I’m super happy because it’s been my dream to play in the UAAP and represent UP,” said Fernandez, an 18-year-old swimming prodigy out of Puerto Princesa.
