After two seasons of the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers’ stranglehold on the pool, the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers ruled over the waters in this year’s Palarong Atenista: Women’s Singles Swimming tournament with six golds.

SON Panthers’ star swimmer Arabella Del Rio dove headfirst into claiming the throne for the e 50-meter butterfly, breaststroke, and freestyle, then splashing back for victories in the 25-meter butterfly, breaststroke, and backstroke. 

“My strategy is to always pray for my team and myself to avoid injuries on the day of the game,” she shared.

Despite dodging cramps mid-race with only a day of training, Del Rio revealed that she triumphed through faith in her team.

“During the competition, I almost got cramps after my breaststroke swim. Though with that one day of training, I overcame it by believing in myself and my teammates…”

Besides toppling the waters for having the most gold, the SON Panthers also garnered two silver medals in freestyle and breaststroke, while the Accountancy (ACC) Griffins surged to second place with one gold, and the Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons for third with three silvers and four bronzes.

The tournament splashed off last October 5 at the Fr. Malasmas Swimming Pool, Ateneo de Davao University – Matina Campus.