Before UAAP season 74 officially wound up, DLSU unveiled its last few tricks.

UAAP Streetdance Competition reigning champions La Salle Dance Company-Street (LSDC) successfully defended its title to cap off the UAAP Season 74 Closing Ceremonies at the PICC Forum last March 10.

LSDC ruled the dance floor once more in topping all eight UAAP schools’ dance crews.

The Closing ceremonies featured the UAAP’s best: General Champions, Athletes of the Years, Most Valuable Players, Rookies of the Year, Athlete Scholars and the international competition participants.

DLSU ended bridesmaid once again to UST in the General Championship race.

Bridesmaids for the fourth consecutive season, the Taft-based squads, however, continued to close the gap with the 39th-time over-all UAAP champions.

“Very good! It’s a very good season, hopefully next year we’ll be able to turn it around already. Konting-konti nalang yan [gap between UST and DLSU for the over-all title],” OSD Director Emmanuel Calanog expressed.

Another highlight of the event was Green Tankers’ swimming ace Johansen Benedict Aguilar receiving the highest individual UAAP honors being hailed as the Athlete of the Year.

Ateneo de Manila University also officially turned over the UAAP hosting duties to National University for the 75th season of the league.

Best street dance crew

One of the premier streetdance crews in the country, LSDC-Street badgers their own kind of winning streak topping all possible major streetdance tournaments this school year.

From last year’s UAAP Streetdance to the Maximum Groovity Competition 2011, Lactacyd Confidance Mash-Up 2011, Skechers Street Dance Battle Year 7 up to the recent UAAP Streetdance, LSDC-Street proved its dancefloor dominance.

“Actually, after their performance that’s more than enough for me kasi that’s their best run so okay nako dun. And dagdag blessing lang siguro yung prize, yung title,” LSDC-Street Coach Kevin Intal shared.

LSDC-Street boasted a quads and footwork intensive routine garnering 88.98% to pocket the P75,000 prize money for the first place.

University of the Philippines’s Streetdance Club wounded up second with 86.4% and Ateneo’s Company of Ateneo Dancers settled with 84.64% at third.

“It is just an amazing feeling because we didn’t expect it. All we really planned was…we show our best performance and show the variety of our skills and the genres of streetdance without really aiming for winning the championship,” LSDC-Street captain Ella Fortun shared.

Bridging the gap

The Green-and-White squads trimmed down last season’s 50-point separation to a measly 20 via 278 markers against the España-based delegates’ 298.

DLSU reaped four championships, ranked second in seven sports disciplines and third in seven others trailing UST with an 8-7-3 (first-second-third) tally.

“Mr. [Edwin] Reyes, my predecessor, really managed the office [OSD] and the teams very well, in terms of recruitment and academics. [And] when Br. Bernie [Oca FSC] came in and [instill] more consciousness to the coaches and the athletes about their role in the General Championship,” Calanog commented on the improvement in DLSU’s over-all championship bid in the recent years.

With five NCAA General Championships under the fold, DLSU has yet to win a UAAP GC since the acquisition of the premier league back in 1986.

“In this coming year, I don’t see any reason why we cannot clinch it [General Championship]. Sa Tagalog, hinog na hinog na (In Filipino, it is already ripe for the taking),” DLSU UAAP Board Member Edwin Reyes shared.

Of being this year’s best

“It’s really a special feeling because out of all the athletes to be chosen as the Athlete of the Year it is really something,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar emerged as the UAAP Swimming Men’s Division MVP behind his seven-gold medal feat breaking national and UAAP records along the way.

While being one of the country rising swimmers, Aguilar managed to excel in his studies.

“I think that would attribute to discipline, time management and all the other traits that would make you excel both in sports and academics,” Aguilar shared.

“Kasi sobrang hirap kasi talaga to  (it is hard to) balance both, but you need talaga to sacrifice other things for a better reason…I’m really proud of my performance so far.”