Coach Randy Segarra of the Green and Lady Woodpushers won’t be surprised if his squads end up with the UAAP chess crowns.
The UAAP season will start on Jan. 8 and the Green Woodpushers have already gone through inevitable changes when they lost last year’s silver medalist Dominic Layugan, a member of the last champion team of the squad in 2008, back when they were led by John Paul Gomez and another Former Rookie of the Year.
Coach Segarra, however, confidently sees this year’s lineup as the Woodpushers’ best, with the addition of two former players of Palarong Pambansa and even the National Team. They joined the Dizon Chess Cup in Bacolod and the Philippine University Games (UniGames) in Dumaguete, and both preseason leagues were good training ground for the team to boost their confidence.
After the six-day meet, the Lady Woodpushers were crowned champions in the UniGames after beating Far Eastern University (FEU), which is one of the teams to be watched out for alongside University of Sto. Tomas, University of the Philippines and Adamson University. The Green Woodpushers notched third place.
| Coach Randy Segarra described the UniGames as a source of moral boost for the teams because the Green Woodpushers placed the third spot and the Lady Woodpushers snagged the championship after successfully beating FEU, which is consider to be one of the teams they look out for because of its solid lineup.
When Segarra is asked regarding his expectation for the teams, he said that they are not discounting on their opponents but will just knock at the opportunity. He hopes that the Green Woodpushers make it to the top three and the Lady Woodpushers repeat their feat from the UniGames, and win the crown. |
