Joshua Balinas of the University of St. La Salle swept all of his 10 events to share the limelight with four school-based squads in the inaugural Monsignor's Cup Swim Fest at the Panaad Olympic Pool in Bacolod City Saturday.

Emerging champions are BCCN (high school boys), Destiny (high school girls), St. John's Institute (elementary boys) and University of St. La Salle-Integrated School (elementary girls). St. Scholastica's Academy tanker Krestia Lacson and Bacolod Christian College of Negros also opened their campaigns with aplomb, capturing eight golds each

The BCCN tankers, powered by Piccio, the top tanker in the high school boys I and II category, combined for 257 points to wrest the title, ahead of USLS with 204 points.

Despite multiple-gold finishes by Jose Ng III and Miguel Petero, La Consolacion College failed to land in the Top 3. Generoso Villanueva National High School, powered by 50-m freestyle winner Ronel Duran, placed third with 134 points.

Even without a gold medallist, Destiny copped the girls' title with 108 points, followed by SSA (96 points) and LCC-Gardenville (90).

St. John's Institute was the runaway winner in the elementary boys' category with 554 points, thanks to the efforts of Alfred Marro Rojo, who emerged as the top tanker in the grade 1 and 2 category, and Alfred Valentin Rojo, the outstanding tanker among tankers grade 3 and 4.

La Salle reigned in the elementary girls' competition with 258 points as Febbie Porras won three freestyle golds and added the 50-m and 100-m breaststroke golds to her collection. She also won the 100-m fly and the 200-m IM. Kyla Mabus also grabbed two golds --- 50-m free and 100-m freestyle.

Tanya Rosales grabbed seven golds to emerge as the top swimmer in grade 5 and 6 level and lead University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos to a second place finish with 196 points.

SJI took third place with 146 points as Cheska Dusaban and Jyra Neri won two golds each.

Balinas dominated the 50-m, 100-m and 200-m freestyle, 50-m and 100-m breaststroke, 50-m and 100-m backstroke, 50-m and 100-m butterfly and the 200-m individual medley.

Lacson, who took a break from swimming and did not see action in the Palarong Pambansa, came up with a strong performance, ruling the freestyle (50-m, 100-m, 200-m), butterfly (50m, 100-m), backstroke (50-m, 100-m) and the 200-m individual medley.

Piccio also topped the freestyle (50-m, 100-m, 200-m), butterfly (50m, 100-m), backstroke (50-m, 100-m) and the 200-m individual medley.

Ng was the top tanker in the high school boys III and IV with four golds, following victories in the 50-m and 100-m breastsroke, 100-m backstroke and 100-m fly.

Cleistah Sol Sabusap of La Consolacion College-Gardenville ruled six events in the high school I and II category and won the best swimmer award in the division. La Salle's Hillary Tan also made her presence felt with four golds.

West Negros College's Mary Cacho took two golds in the high school III and IV events. Petero and Rafael Bacaoco of St. Benilde School duplicated Cacho's output in the boys division. The other gold medallists in the boys' high school III and IV division are Ronel Duran of GVNHS in the 50-m free; Daryl Testa of USLS in the 50-m backstroke, and Alfred Ramaila in the 200-m IM.

In the grade school boys' 3 and 4, Alfred Valentin Rojo took five golds, while teammates Jose Mari Ereñeta and Lorenzo Abello captured two golds each. Rojo topped the three freestyle races and the two butterfly events.

Ereñeta prevailed in the 50-m and 100-m backstroke, while Abello swept the breaststroke races.

Alfred Marro Rojo won four golds --- 50-m and 100-m free, 50-m breastsroke and 200-m IM in the grade 1 and 2 category. His SJI teammate Dustin Ong posted golden finishes in the 50-m and 100-m butterfly. Timothy Sellado of SNES also took three golds, after victories in the 50-m and 100-m breast and the 100-m backstroke.

Aside from Porras, La Salle also produced a triple-gold winner in the grade 3 and 4 class when Kayla Bomban ruled the 50-m and 100-m backstroke and the 50-m fly.

Grabbing the spotlight in the grade 1 and 2 category is Gwen del Carmen of BCCN, who won the 50-m and 100-m butterfly, 100-m backstroke and the 50-m freestyle. *CPT

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