La Salle captures first UAAP GC

March 13, 2013

By Adiel Sam De Jesus, Tim Alejandro, Jerome Alvarez, Rogie Vasquez, Sabrina Capuz, Joaqui Flores, Cayrone Jarett Lim, Brian Lance Tamayao, Maria Cristina Revilla, Kebet Libo-on, Ronaldo Federico Manzano, Jane Encarnado, David Antonio Escueta and JC Gonzales under Sports

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After 26 seasons, De La Salle University will finally grab its first overall championship in the UAAP. The General Championship (GC) has since belonged to UST for 14 straight years.

With three more championship tournaments ongoing, La Salle has already secured its championship against other UAAP participating schools especially its closest rival, the 39-time UAAP general champion, UST.

Last season, DLSU almost stole the crown from UST, which only had a 10-point lead after the first half. DLSU, in the second half however, gave UST another 10 point lead as the squads came up short in the latter part of the season.

This year, La Salle athletes placed in a little more effort to give DLSU the crown. After 14 teams performed well in the first round, DLSU went into the season break with an eight point advantage against UST.

Long wait ends

On March 23, La Salle will finally claim its UAAP GC trophy after spectacular performances from most clubs.

In the first half alone, DLSU already earned two championships from its teams. No first half team ranked lower than fourth place. Some sports fell behind UST, but each of the team’s consistency played an important role in giving DLSU the vital eight-point lead.

The beach volleyball team’s improved record was an unexpected key event that contributed to the GC feat. Eleven out of the 14 first half participating DLSU teams managed to place a podium rank in the end.

Second half

DLSU started out slow in the second half as it allowed UST to trim the eight point lead to four after two sporting events. La Salle even almost squandered its lead as most sports teams could not rank well in the start of the elimination rounds.

In the latter part of the second round, La Salle suddenly got its groove and surged through the playoffs in different sports. The football teams of La Salle surprisingly went on track after a dismal first round standing while the ladies ended the tournament as runners-up.

The baseball and softball teams also struggled in their respective competitions that almost took away DLSU’s chances. Luckily for La Salle, UST’s women’s chess and both volleyball teams suffered setbacks, which made up for DLSU’s deficit in the baseball and softball events.

In the second round, 10 more DLSU squads managed to pull a podium finish to seal the deal for good.

Green Archers plays consistent season
Season 75 was a good run for DLSU’s basketball teams as the Green Archers regained a spot in the Final Four, and the Lady Archers maintained La Salle’s first runner-up finish last season.

The Green Archers replicated last season’s first round record of 4-3, but blasted a 5-2 second round to pull an exact opposite of last season’s elimination record.

It was not an easy climb for the Archers to get back in the Final Four as the squad needed to complete a playoff comeback against FEU to barge into the semifinal duel against archrival Ateneo. In the semifinals, La Salle surrendered to the Eagles, which had a twice-to-beat edge. La Salle, however, managed to post a double-digit lead early in the final period, which turned into a three-point Ateneo lead at the end of the game.

The Lady Archers gave performed as expected from the start of the season. The Tyrone Bautista-mentored ladies had a better season this year, but again fell short to the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the Finals.

Despite conceding to the Lady Tams, the Lady Archers gave a good fight against last year’s champion.

Some individual players have also shined this season. Green Archer Jeron Teng and Lady Archer Ara Abaca both entered the Mythical Team. The latter also received the Rookie of the Year honors.

Next season, both squads are looking to remain consistent in the UAAP. The Green and Lady Spikers have recruited key additions during the off-season to match or even exceed last season’s results.

Jins remain consistent, lock top spots with a bright future
The Green and Lady Jins finished first runner-up and champion respectively. Both teasm made several improvements this season.

The men’s team performed remarkably as the team acquired three gold and two bronze medals this year compared to last year’s two gold and two silver medals. La Salle’s Keith Sembrano also bagged the Rookie of the Year (ROY) honors.

The Lady Jins, on the other hand, earned three gold and silver medals. Jyra Lizardo won the Most Valuable player award for the season while Patricia Gonzales was named the female ROY.

Despite playing with one man down, the Green Jins managed to remain on the top of the standings. The squad only fell to second place because of the quotient system implemented by the UAAP. The team’s female counterpart, meanwhile, remained untouched to lock the top spot for good.

The Taft-based Taekwondo teams have always been consistent cash cows for GC points. Every year, both teams have ended the season at the top three spots. This year is no exception. This year, the Jins contributed a total of 27 points to DLSU’s GC tally.

Green Batters and Softbelles struggle in UAAP 75
The Green Batters and the Lady Softbelles stumbled on rough ground this year. The Green Batters finished at fifth place to contribute six points to La Salle’s General Championship (GC). The Lady Softbelles finished at the bottom of the standings at seventh place to add two points to the tally.

Both teams were unable to uplift their previous record and ended the season two places down from last season. The Green Batters and the ladies lacked in consistency in executing defensive plays.

The Green Batters lost five key players from UAAP 74, which affected the team’s performance in the UAAP.

Team Captain Jay Laurel explained, “I wish I could have done better to help the team win more. I hope that the legacy that I leave behind, they’ll continue to keep working hard playing for the school, for themselves and for God.”

Green and Lady Paddlers finish on high notes
With an intact lineup of seasoned UAAP veterans and the arrival of super rookie Donna Gamilla from UE High School, the DLSU Lady Paddlers redeemed La Salle from the team’s bridesmaid finish last season with a championship.

The skillfully-mentored squad surged to an immaculate 14-0 record, gaining a thrice to beat advantage in the finals against UP. The ladies dethroned the defending champion UP in three games, 2-1, to clinch the championship.

UAAP Season 75 Rookie of the Year Gamilla asked the coaching staff to play her in the lower matches while co-captain Michaella Yagin played in the doubles action midway through the season. This move gave the team more match flexibility and added a different dynamic to the team’s offense.

The Taft-based team ended the season with a 15-point contribution to La Salle’s General Championship cause, a three-point increase from last season’s performance.

The Green Paddlers, on the other hand, managed to improve La Salle’s record to 12-2 as it finished first runner-up to back-to-back champion UST.

The team’s performance seemed to be promising in the first half of the season after finishing the preliminary round with an unscathed 7-0 record before eventually yielding to UST and FEU during the second half of the season. As a result, the Green-and-White squad brought home 12 points for the GC tally, a two-point increase from last season.

With seniors Ted Yu, Kim Medina and Iris Matubis leaving the team due to graduation, the DLSU Green and Lady Paddlers will go back to the drawing board once again to improve their respective lineups.

DLSU beach volleyball squads improve record
This season, the DLSU Spiker teams ended the season at third and fourth place respectively – both a place higher than last season’s finish, after the men and ladies bowed down to their respective semis opponents.

The Wensh Tiu and Kim Fajardo tandem of the Lady Spikers ended the beach volleyball tournament after squandering a twice-to-beat advantage, 19-21, 11-21, in a match against the Adamson Lady Falcons last August 8 at the University of the East Caloocan sand court.

On the other hand, the Kevin Dela Vega and Red Christensen tandem of the Green Spikers ended at fourth place after bowing down to the FEU Tamaraws, 19-21, 16-21, in the playoffs on the same date.

Both teams have yet to win a championship in the Beach Volleyball event.

Strong eliminations performance
The Lady Spikers opened the elimination with two consecutive wins against the Fille Cainglet-Alyssa Valdez duo of the Ateneo Lady Eagles and the Carmina Aganon-Dindin Santiago tandem of the National Lady Bulldogs behind the newfound offense exhibited by Tiu and Fajardo.

The Maru Banaticla and Judy Caballejo combo of the UST Tigresses later dealt the team its lone loss in the elimination round.

La Salle later closed the remaining games of the elimination round on a high note after beating the UE Lady Warriors, FEU Lady Tamaraws, UP Lady Maroons and the Adamson Lady Falcons, which gave the team a 5-1 record, good for second place.

Keeping at bay
The Green Spikers started the season with a 1-1 record after winning against the NU Bulldogs and losing to the FEU Tamaraws.

The Dela Vega-Christensen tandem later grabbed wins against Ateneo and UP. The tamdam eventually lost against Adamson and the Unversity of the East.

Eyes set for next season

With the rise of both teams from years of mediocrity, expect both teams to bank on their experiences and rely more on themselves to conquer another season of beach volleyball action.

Judokas struggle to their limits
The DLSU Green and Lady Judokas concluded Season 75 of the UAAP Judo Tournament at 3rd and 4th place, respectively. Both squads failed to neither duplicate nor improve their last year’s finish as both placed a spot lower than before.

Despite the downfall this season, the DLSU Judo team managed to win several medals in the tournament. The Green Judokas piled up a gold and a silver medal while the ladies, tallied a gold and a bronze for their squad.

Despite a dismal Season 75 finish, Head Coach Sam Bernales expressed, “In judo you really cannot predict who can win, but in the end there will always be a winner and a loser even if our record says we are 3rd and 4th, I am still proud of my team knowing they gave it their all.”

The Judokas produced a significant 18 point contribution to this year’s tally. Though the contribution was four points lower than last season and both teams fell behind perennial GC contender UST, the Judokas managed to stay close to UST.

The DLSU Judo teams are currently undertaking off-season preparations as they prepare for Season 76. Off-season tournaments allows teams like the Green Judokas to improve their skills and to test the competition.

Bernales concluded, “This off-season our team will not just train harder, but will also will compete in various off season tournaments to improve, and at the same time see what we lack. We can improve from there.”

La Salle Booters fall short in UAAP 75
After winning the IPPCA and WSL preseason titles respectively, De La Salle University’s men’s and women’s football teams were poised to become strong contenders in the UAAP football tournaments.

Unfortunately, the Green and Lady Booters started slowly in the first round. As both teams placed fourth after the first set of games.

The Green Booters made an inconsistent run during the first round of the eliminations. The team, however, made a comeback and almost swept the competition in the second round to achieve redemption, just losing La Salle’s last assignment to UP to enter the next round at fourth place.

The team failed to make it out of the semifinal round, losing to top-ranked archrival Ateneo to settle at fourth place.

Similarly, the Lady Booters also had a rough start to the season. The ladies from the Green-and-White squad failed to produce a single win during the first round, but managed to stay alive in the standings through draws. The Lady Booters then turned the season around by winning three games and drawing one match in the second round to secure a spot in the finals against FEU. The women’s team eventually lost the championship duel against the Lady Tamaraw Booters in two games.

Despite not winning the championships, both the Green and Lady Booters outperformed their Thomasian counterparts—a big edge for La Salle in the General Championship race. UST’s football teams struggled this season as its men’s team pegged at fifth at the end of the season while its women’s team was edged out by the Lady Booters by one position.

Last year, the UST football teams racked up 27 points for the GC haul as compared to La Salle’s 20 points. This time around, DLSU maintained a cumulative 20-point tally while UST’s teams only pocketed a total of 16.

In the coming season, expect UST’s teams to bounce back, but also expect the Green and Lady Booters to step up a notch with the hope of finally winning the football championships.

La Salle fencing teams finish season at third
This season, the DLSU Green and Lady Fencers both finished at third place in their annual competition last December 11-14, 2012 at the Philsports Arena (Ultra) in Pasay City.

The Green Fencers ended the season with a 0-2-2 gold-silver-bronze medal tally while the Lady Fencers, meanwhile, finished with a 1-0-2 tally. Both teams have yet to win a championship since the UAAP fencing tournament started in 1996.

The two fencer squads exhibited strong starts in the opening day of the annual four-day competition.

Gian Rodriguez’s bronze medal in the Foil category gave the Green Fencers a second cushion in the Foil category while Lady Fencer Geisha De Leon struck gold in the Sabre category. Nadine Licono’s bronze medal in the same category gave the Lady Fencers the lead in the opening day of the tournament.

The Lady Fencers, however, struggled to keep momentum going in the latter days of the tournament.The Sabre team of De Leon, Johnin Hao, Licono and May Montegero won bronze.

With their respective finishes as second runners-up, the Green and Lady Fencers contributed 10 points apiece to La Salle’s General Championship race. The Green Fencers, finishing sixth last year, bounced back big time with the team’s 3rd place finish. Meanwhile, the Lady Fencers stepped down after ending last season at first runner-up.

Expect the La Salle Fencing squads to take the next step come the next UAAP season. With almost all of their players intact, improvements are not far within reach.

Shuttlers add two bronze medals to La Salle’s GC tally
UAAP Season 75 became a repeat of last season for the Green and Lady Shuttlers as they both concluded their run in the UAAP Badminton Tournament with bronze medals.

The Green Shuttlers suffered a misstep at the start of the season as the team failed to stand its ground against NU and ADMU. The Green-and-White shuttlers, however, regained their composure after garnering a 5-2 slate, which raised the team back into the final four of the competition at the end of the eliminations. Their semifinal run ended in the hands of Tobi Gadi and the rest of the Blue Eagles as they forced La Salle to settle for third once again.

On the other hand, the Lady Shuttlers successfully kicked off its season, defeating the defending champion, the UE Lady Red Warriors, and the AdU Lady Falcons to start the season. The winning streak ended after the Lady Eagles delivered the team’s first loss of the season. Coach Owen Lopez’s squad then bounced back from successive losses to secure a 5-2 slate for the final four by winning the squad’s last three games. The ladies’ road to the top ended in the hands of the FEU Lady Tamaraws as the later forced La Salle to settle at third place.

Securing the third overall rank of both the men’s and women’s competition gave La Salle a total of 20 points for La Salle’s General Championship tally.

The University of Santo Tomas was not so far behind. The team finished just behind the Taft-based Shuttlers as the latter ended at fourth place in both competitions for a total of 16 points.

Both the Green and Lady Shuttlers will be back on stage in the first semester of UAAP sports as they kick off UAAP Season 76 with a hardened arsenal, featuring Kenneth Monerubio of the Green Shuttlers and the Philippines’ number two ranked player, Lady Shuttler Danica San Ignacio.

La Salle Spikers complete spectacular finishes
The Green Spikers pulled a surprise with its return to the Final Four with even a higher seed than last season while the team’s female counterpart, the Lady Spikers, remained consistent as the top team in the UAAP Women’s Volleyball tournament.

Despite an early struggle in the first round of the elimination round, the Green Spikers made a comeback to finish third overall after two rounds of eliminations.

The Lady Spikers, on the other hand, almost swept the eliminations with a lone loss, which came from its first game against UST.

As both squads went into the playoff round, they had contrasting results as the ladies earned a twice-to-beat advantage while the men had a twice-to-beat disadvantage. After the semifinals, the Green Spikers bowed down to FEU to settle for third. Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers won against NU via a sweep in the semifinals to move forward against Ateneo in the finals.

The Lady Spikers is a win away from coveting another three-peat. With the team’s comeback victory against its rival in Finals Game 1, the Lady Spikers has momentum come the second game.

In DLSU’s GC run, these teams played a crucial role in establishing La Salle’s GC lead. The Green Spikers dropped UST to fifth place in their last encounter while the Lady Spikers’ superb performance to move away from the Tigresses’ fifth place finish allowed DLSU to breakaway as the Season 75 GC titleholder.

Embattled Tracksters vow to bounce back
The Green Spikers pulled a surprise with its return to the Final Four with even a higher seed than last season while the team’s female counterpart, the Lady Spikers, remained consistent as the top team in the UAAP Women’s Volleyball tournament.

Despite an early struggle in the first round of the elimination round, the Green Spikers made a comeback to finish third overall after two rounds of eliminations.

The Lady Spikers, on the other hand, almost swept the eliminations with a lone loss, which came from its first game against UST.

As both squads went into the playoff round, they had contrasting results as the ladies earned a twice-to-beat advantage while the men had a twice-to-beat disadvantage. After the semifinals, the Green Spikers bowed down to FEU to settle for third. Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers won against NU via a sweep in the semifinals to move forward against Ateneo in the finals.

The Lady Spikers is a win away from coveting another three-peat. With the team’s comeback victory against its rival in Finals Game 1, the Lady Spikers has momentum come the second game.

In DLSU’s GC run, these teams played a crucial role in establishing La Salle’s GC lead. The Green Spikers dropped UST to fifth place in their last encounter while the Lady Spikers’ superb performance to move away from the Tigresses’ fifth place finish allowed DLSU to breakaway as the Season 75 GC titleholder.

Steady contributions: Tennisters grab podium finishes
The Green Spikers pulled a surprise with its return to the Final Four with even a higher seed than last season while the team’s female counterpart, the Lady Spikers, remained consistent as the top team in the UAAP Women’s Volleyball tournament.

Despite an early struggle in the first round of the elimination round, the Green Spikers made a comeback to finish third overall after two rounds of eliminations.

The Lady Spikers, on the other hand, almost swept the eliminations with a lone loss, which came from its first game against UST.

As both squads went into the playoff round, they had contrasting results as the ladies earned a twice-to-beat advantage while the men had a twice-to-beat disadvantage. After the semifinals, the Green Spikers bowed down to FEU to settle for third. Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers won against NU via a sweep in the semifinals to move forward against Ateneo in the finals.

The Lady Spikers is a win away from coveting another three-peat. With the team’s comeback victory against its rival in Finals Game 1, the Lady Spikers has momentum come the second game.

In DLSU’s GC run, these teams played a crucial role in establishing La Salle’s GC lead. The Green Spikers dropped UST to fifth place in their last encounter while the Lady Spikers’ superb performance to move away from the Tigresses’ fifth place finish allowed DLSU to breakaway as the Season 75 GC titleholder.

Woodpushers dominate
The DLSU Lady Woodpushers ended UAAP Season 75 in remarkable fashion as the team made DLSU UAAP history, recording DLSU’s first three-peat in women’s chess by garnering 41 points, 1.5 points more than La Salle’s rival, the University of the Philippines.

With a record of 11 wins and three losses, the ladies from Taft Avenue dismantled UP, 2.5-1.5, to seal the deal during the 14th and last round of the season.

Graduating UAAP veteran Akiko Suede, sophomore sensation Cherry Ann Mejia, Season 74 MVP Jan Jodilyn Fronda, and rookie phenom Rowelyn Acedo all reaped silvers for their respective boards during the awarding ceremony. Judith Pineda, meanwhile, went home with a gold medal.

The rookie-laden Green Woodpushers, on the other hand, ended the season with an impressive third-place finish with 31.5 points, one rank higher than last year’s finish.

Christian Nanola proved his doubters wrong when he finished his rookie campaign with a gold medal, while co-captain Aglipay Oberio did not disappoint as he brought home a silver.

Consequently, both teams collectively contributed 25 points to the GC tally, a six-point increase from last season’s overall championship race.

This offseason, Head Coach Randy Segerra has already recruited two blue-chip recruits to fill the void to be vacated by the graduating Suede. Moreover, the DLSU Woodpushers will begin the offseason by joining the National Age Group Chess Championship and National Juniors this March.

Green and Lady Tankers capture podium finishes
The Taft-based swimmers showed great performances in their UAAP Season 75 stint in the swimming competitions held in Los Baños, Laguna, showing heart and determination. Both teams, however, came up short in winning the prestigious gold medal championships for both the men’s and women’s division.

The men’s team ended the tournament at second place behind a slim 17-point deficit against the Ateneo Tankers while the Lady Tankers landed at third, far behind women’s division champion, UP.

Despite the shortened lineup DLSU’s tankers paraded this year, DLSU’s swimming teams garnered 12 and 8 points in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively for DLSU’s GC tally.

The points contributed by the DLSU’s swimmers aided La Salle’s successful chase for the elusive UAAP 75th Season General Championship. Season 75 MVP Johansen Aguilar led the men’s team this year to the championship.

Aguilar explained, “In my opinion, this year was really one of the most competitive seasons so far. I’m very happy with my performance since I was able to defend my MVP award. But it’s really unfortunate that some key players were not able to swim, which spelled the difference in the end.”

The DLSU tankers have proved that they will be one of the top teams in the UAAP waters and next year. Both teams are looking to win back both team’s UAAP Swimming Championships.

Aguilar closed, “Looking forward, winning the UAAP General Championship for the first time, this will really boost the morale of the team in reclaiming the championship next year.”