Swim and Dive: The Philippines Connection

2/11/2021 11:33:00 AM

LA JOLLA, Calif. – With the transition to Division I, the UC San Diego swim and dive team has received interest from a variety of athletes, leading to a more diverse team. Current swimmers Miranda Renner, Luke Pusateri and Teagan Monroe have something in common: all are of Filipino descent and have represented the Philippines in international competitions.

All three had similar starts to swimming. Monroe and Renner were signed up because an older sibling was already swimming while Pusateri was enrolled by his parents so he would learn the basics to prevent him from drowning. After a while, the sport grew on them.

Eventually all three found a path to compete for the Philippines. Renner’s mother is Filipina and Renner was born in the Philippines. When Renner was around 14, her mom realized she could compete for her birth country. Both of Pusateri’s parents are of Filipino decent. The head coach of Fil-Foreign swimmers reached out to Pusateri to see if he wanted to compete for them. Pusateri applied for dual citizenship and competed in his first meet for them in 2018. Monroe’s Filipina heritage comes from her mother. What started as a running family joke led to Monroe eventually representing the Philippines in competition.

The three swimmer’s paths crossed several times throughout the years at domestic and international competitions. Renner, Pusateri and Monroe all grew up on the west coast so it was only natural they would run into each other at swim meets. But the three really bonded when they competed in Cambodia at the South East Asian Age Group Championships. A tradition of the meet was a dance competition between the participating countries at a banquet on the final day of attendance. Because the Philippines consistently won the dance competition, there was pressure to do well. The three would spend countless hours practicing their dance moves. While none of them claimed to be great dancers, it was still a great bonding experience for the future Tritons. They stayed in the same hotel and were even seated together at the banquet.

There were definitely some differences competing abroad compared to in the USA. The South East Asian Age Group Championships at Cambodia was one of the more memorable meets they competed in.

“We all went to the same meet in Cambodia. I think we like can all say that the team atmosphere is very different. It's a lot more relaxed,” said Renner. “I wouldn't say it’s a lot more fun, but it's more upbeat. They're constantly playing music. It's more of a team dynamic, so wherever you go no matter how far it is or how different and new and foreign it is to you, wherever you are, you still sort of feel this connection with the team, so you don't feel too far from home.”

Renner competing at the South East Asian Age Group Championships in the Philippines

Monroe after a day of practice

“The team atmosphere from Cambodia was definitely different, more loose. I do think the team really welcomed us, which was a really good experience,” said Monroe. “My first meet was Luke’s first meet in Singapore and we didn’t have a team dynamic at that meet. We did our own thing and would sometimes meet up for warm-up. It was different there from how our swim meets are. For warm-ups, USA Swimming has their rules and regulations. You can’t dive in during warm-up. It was different to see how people didn’t care about that because it wasn’t a thing.”

“My first meet was in Singapore,” said Pusateri “The atmosphere was so different compared to meets over here. Once I did get to swim with the whole team, it was totally different and team dynamic is loose compared to over here. When we all went to Cambodia, that was definitely a better meet than the first time. Even being labeled as Fil-Foreign compared to everyone else. You (still) feel a part but at the same time they embrace you.”

It was actually thousands of miles away in Cambodia when Pusateri started to gain interest in UC San Diego.

“I learned about UCSD through Miranda and Teagan because they were already committed,” said Pusateri. “I was actually in the Philippines when I had my first call with Coach Kirk (Kumbier). He totally forgot about the time difference and I called him at 2 a.m. That was my first connection to UCSD and it kind of went off from there.”

Pusateri posing in front of the Philippines flag

Academics and the beach are always big factors as to why students pick UC San Diego. Renner, Pusateri and Monroe are all STEM majors so academically UC San Diego made sense. An additional reason these three swimmers were drawn to UC San Diego was the team atmosphere.

“UC San Diego’s dynamic is somewhat similar to the Philippine team dynamic,” stated Renner. “My club team was pretty strict. My coach was very straightforward with what he wanted from his swimmers. I’ve never had that Philippines team swimming environment anywhere else. I think that was another reason I decided to commit here because I saw more of a resemblance to that team dynamic.”

Despite a lot of uncertainty for the immediate future, all three share some common goals of making it on the Philippines National Team, making a run for the 2024 Olympics and excelling in the classroom. But a goal a little closer to their hearts? To be able to race alongside and cheer for their Triton teammates.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDTritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.

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