INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines— San Beda and La Salle Greenhills- College of St. Benilde are expected to face a tougher field as guest schools join this season's NCAA swimming competition.

The competition kicks off on August 22 Trace Aquatics Center in Los Banos, Laguna
as the seven-time champion Sea Lions defend their seniors' crown while five-time La Salle-CSB try to repeat their dominance in the junior's division.

Swimming will be held in the same venue that hosted competition during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, made possible by the NCAA's partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission.

"We want to give our athletes the taste of international competition and standards,” said Paul Supan, NCAA management committee representative for swimming.

NCAA schools have produced a number of swimmers that have done well in international competition.

Bedans Edson King Dinglasan, Ferdinand Frigillana and Geneson Mendoza won gold medals in the 2007 Mantas Invitationals in Hong Kong.

Supan is hoping the same type of competitiveness will rub off on the current crop of tankers. Supan related that athletes who have competed internationally have raised the level of competition in the NCAA.

He also expects guest schools Emilio Aguinaldo, Arellano University and Angeles University Foundation to be competitive.

“I know for a fact that Emilio Aguinaldo College has its own swimming pool while Arellano University and the Angeles University Foundation are also competitive in swimming,” he said.

Supan added the NCAA is also looking to include women's swimming in both junior's and senior's divisions, but this would depend on how many schools are able to form femal swimming squads.

Mapua holds the record for most number of championships since swimming was introduced in 1925, tallying a combined 65 championships in both junior's and senior's divisions.