After gritting through seven sports events, De La Salle University currently tops the UAAP General Championship tally with 152 points, giving the University a slim eight-point cushion, 152-144, over the defending general champion, University of Santo Tomas. UST has held the GC plum for 14 straight seasons.
The University of the Philippines follows at third with a total of 108 points followed by Ateneo de Manila University with 107 markers, good for fourth place.
Ladies finishing on top
In the first half of the UAAP season, the La Salle garnered two championships as the women’s Taekwondo and the Table Tennis teams reigned supreme.
After going through a 14-year title drought since 1998 and a bridesmaid finish last season, the Lady Jins, behind middle-heavyweight Ynah Langit, welterweight Rookie of the Year (ROY) Patricia Gonzalez and lightweight Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jyra Lazardo, are back on top after a successful six-game sweep.
The Lady Paddlers, coming also from a second place finish with a loss from the defending champion UP Lady Paddlers last season, won gold after exacting revenge on the defending champions.
Donna Gamilla brought home the ROY honors; Ian Lariba was crowned MVP; and Lauro Crisostomo was named as best coach for Table Tennis.
“Nakita ko na mas naging focused na yung mga bata at saka nakikita na talaga na gusto nilang manalo. Andun na yung drive nila, kasi dahil natalo kami last year,” said Paddlers Coach Lauro Crisostomo.
Remarkable improvements
Five La Salle teams have shown remarkable improvement this season as the Green and Lady Archers, Paddlers, and Spikers along with the Lady Spikers, finished with higher outings compared to their performance in the previous season.
Finishing at a dismal sixth place last season 74, the Green Archers, with a total overhaul of its coaching staff, ended the season at fourth after a loss against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the Final Four semis matchup.
Xavier standout Jeron Teng received the Mythical Five membership and ROY honors.
“Generally speaking, I think we’re happy about the outcome in this season. But I think the boys played their hearts out, I think maganda ‘yung involvement nung bawat isa,” said DLSU Head Coach Gee Abanilla of his team’s improved performance this season.
The Lady Archers on the other hand, soared to second place after a fourth place finish last season. The women in green bowed down to the undefeated FEU Lady Tamaraws in their championship clash.
Lady Archers forward Ara Abaca entered the Mythical Five cast this season.
Finishing fifth last season, the Kevin Dela Vega-Red Christensen duo led the Green Spikers to a fourth place finish after losing its semis clash with the top-seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws.
Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers, led by the duo of Kim Fajardo and Wensh Tiu, ended the beach volleyball season at third after the team squandered its twice-to-beach advantage against the Adamson Lady Falcons in their semifinals encounter.
The Green Paddlers, meanwhile, avenged the team’s third place finish last season for a spectacular bridesmaid ending this year.
Similar outcomes
With both teams finishing third last season, the men’s and women’s badminton teams once again finished at the same place this season.
The Green Shuttlers, composed of JC Clarito, Gerald Sibayan, Ronel Estanislao, Kenneth Monterubio, Lance Bautista and Allen Del Mundo, ended its run with a 1-3 meltdown against Ateneo. Carlos Cayanan was named Rookie of the Year.
Its female counterparts, the Lady Shuttlers, ended up with bronze honors. Its roster of players include Danica Bolos, Danica Peligrino, Flo Lamigo, Gelili Ramos, Danica San Ignacio, Kristelle Salatan, and Aires Montilla. The team suffered a similar 1-3 defeat against the FEU Lady Shuttlers.
DLSU has seven more competitions to come in the second half of the UAAP, but through the first half efforts of all the squads, La Salle might not be far from its first ever General Championship crown in the UAAP.
