DLSU moves closer to first UAAP General Championship

General Championship (GC) secured.

At the end of Season 75, De La Salle University will receive its first GC since the University joined the University Athletic Association of the Philippines back in 1986. Before the UAAP, DLSU played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a founding member for 57 years and won five NCAA General Championships.

Games to remember

The Lady Spikers’ semifinal win against Final Four debutant the NU Lady Bulldogs is the defining moment of DLSU’s Season 75 General Championship bid story.

As of press time, DLSU has 251 points, and is expecting more points from its women’s football, tennis and volleyball teams, which still have games to play. The three teams, however, have already assured at least second place finishes. Hence,a minimum of 36 points would be added to La Salle’s tally.

UST, meanwhile, has 253 points in the bag. But with only its men’s and women’s tennis teams suiting up for play, the Black-and-Gold can only garner a maximum of 283 points, four points shy of La Salle’s assured total.

The results of the UAAP General Championship this year rested on the second semester sports. DLSU started eight points ahead of UST, which made up for their deficit by ending above La Salle in both the men’s and women’s track and field meet. Both UST teams finished higher than their La Salle counterparts.

In fencing, both universities managed to cancel out each other’s lead. The Green Fencers ended at third, a place above UST, but the Lady Fencers finished second runner-up, a step behind the vastly-improved Tigresses. The lead, thus, remained in La Salle’s favor.

UST made up for the loss as its teams won against the Green Woodpushers, the Softbelles, the Green Tennisters and the Green Batters, while DLSU’s men’s and women’s football, men’s and women’s volleyball and women’s chess continued their dominance to keep the General Championship Race alive.

Statistically, La Salle’s varsity squads did not improve significantly from their performance last year. Fortunately, DLSU’s improvements were coupled by the decline of some Thomasian sports teams.

20 out of DLSU’s 26 sports teams have landed into the top three of each event while UST only has 15 teams finishing on the podium.

By the numbers and in a few weeks time, De La Salle University will be formally named overall champion of UAAP Season 75 for the first time in its history.