La Salle captures first UAAP GC

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.

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Infographics by Marinel Mamac
Coding by Martin San Diego