DAGUPAN CITY – The Dagupan swimming team dominated anew the Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) swimming competition held at this city’s Olympic-size swimming pool by finishing the events with 32 gold, 16 silver, and seven bronze medals.
Compared to its top performance in 2016 and 2017, this year’s number of gold medals hauled by the Balon Dagupan team, is so far the biggest harvest yet, bolstering its chances to move up from being back-to-back first runner-up in the 2016 and 2017 R1AA meets to hopefully, champion this year.
The 2018 R1AA meet is being held in Alaminos City but the swimming competition is being held at the Dagupan City pool site.
In 2017, the Balon Dagupan garnered a total of 26 gold medals out of the 51 at stake, which catapulted it to earn the first runner-up finish in the R1AA for the second time in a row.
In the final unofficial result of the swimming competition as of Wednesday afternoon, the elementary division garnered a total medal tally of 18 with nine gold, seven silver, and two bronze medals.
The secondary division took 23 gold, nine silver and five bronze medals for a total of 37 medals.
Mark Bryan B. Rioflorido ruled five individual events in the elementary division to become the most bemedalled swimmer in his division. He also towed his team to second place in the 12 and under 400 LC (long court) meter medley and 12 and under 200 LC meter medley and earned two silver medals in addition to his five gold medals.
Palaro and Batang Pinoy National record holder Janelle Alisa France T. Lin ruled the girls’ secondary division by garnering seven gold medals in seven individual and medley events.
Paul Andrew B. Rioflorido and Sean Iverson C. Fabiana almost synonymously shared the same spot in the boy’s secondary division by getting the most number of gold medals in five individual and medley events.
Rioflorido, the older brother of Mark Bryan, garnered six gold medals in all six individual and medley events and a silver medal in the boys 13-17 400 LC meter freestyle ruled by Fabiana.
Fabiana ruled all his five events to earn five gold medals with one silver and one bronze medal.
The other members of the Balon Dagupan swimming team who likewise brought additional medals for the city are: in the individual events elementary division Letecia May Macanlalay, 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze and in the secondary division Jessie B. Cacapit, 1 gold; Jeremy Carlo Jizmundo, 1 gold and 3 silver; Marie Alexie Adriano, 1 gold and 1 silver; John Carlo Carulla, 1 gold; Gabriel Angelo Jizmundo, 2 silver; Angeline Padilla, 1 silver and 1 bronze; Sophia Rafaelle A. De Vera, 1 bronze; and Ma. Jesse Lou Cacapit, 1 bronze.
In the medley relay elementary division: Mathew Gaerlan, Mark Bryan Rioflorido, Rueben Gerald Casipit and Ryan Pasaoa, 2 silver; Sophia Mae Garcia, Letecia Mae Macanlalay, Genevieve Barrozo and Meligia Brigette Macanlalay, 2 gold; Charles Liam Romero, Jayven Espanillo, Lander Pasaoa and Shawn Steve Pangilinan, 2 bronze.
In the secondary medley relay, Jessie Cacapit, Jeremy Carlo Jizmundo, Paul Rioflorido and Sean Fabiana earned gold; Mari Alexie M. Adriano, Sophia Rafaelle A. Devera, Angeline Padilla and Janelle Lin, one gold; Adriano, Padilla, Cacapit, and Camille Posadas, 1 gold; Omar Dacurong, Jizmundo, Carulla and Rioflorido, one gold; and De Vera, Lin, Cacapit and Posadas, one gold. PNA-northboundasia.com