UAAP preview: What to look forward to in Season 77

Another General Championship quest begins as the first half of the latest season of the UAAP kicks off this June. Heavy contributors to the GC race, twelve Lasallian teams will fight for the name of the school as they begin their respective competitions for the first semester of UAAP action.

Last season, five championships were produced from this set of teams; namely the DLSU Green Archers, Lady Archers, Green Jins, Green Paddlers, and Lady Judokas. Optimism surrounds these teams as the Lasallian brand of excellence is instilled in them throughout their athletic campaigns. The road to a third straight General Championship will be much tougher as other competing universities look to topple DLSU from the top of the ladder. The first half of UAAP sports will soon be underway and expect these twelve teams to gut it and set the tone for another GC.

Twin basketball championships repeat

The stage has been set. A preview of basketball dominance has been shown to us last season with the double championship of the Green and Lady Archers. Fans of both teams are eager and excited for this upcoming season as they set to embark on defending their respective crowns as heavy favorites.

The Green Archers will come into the season with high expectations for winning the UAAP championship in last year’s edition of the tournament. With point guard LA Revilla graduating, most of last year’s players will come back for another tour of duty bringing with them valuable championship experience, which they obtained from last year’s magical run.

The team coached by Juno Sauler will be spearheaded by star forward Jeron Teng, the reigning finals MVP and a mythical team member. Notable returnees include burly center Norbert Torres, sharpshooter Almond Vosotros, and the post tandem of Jason Perkins and Arnold van Opstal. The Green Archers will also get a boost from several recruits.

Ending an 11-year championship drought last season, hopes are high for the surging Lady Archers.  Not favored to win the trophy last year, the ladies from Taft now face a different scenario as they play with targets around them with opposing teams looking to dethrone them as queens of the hard court.

Coach Ty Bautista will have an almost intact lineup from last season. Mythical team member Ara Abaca will once again lead the charge for the Lady Archers with her regular double-double productions. Sweet-shooting Trisha Piatos will shoulder the offensive load, which helped her bag last year’s Finals MVP.

Bigger waves to come

Last season, the Green Tankers finished at a respectable second place and the Lady Tankers finished at third. It was a successful season as they had an unexpected finish despite being underdogs throughout the competition. 

“Despite last season’s controversial stint, we plan to bounce back with a stronger team and try to break our streak of placing 3rd place at the finals,” Lady Tankers team captain Raissa Teaño shares.  

The rookie-laden team surprised many as majority of their young athletes stepped up in their run last season. This year’s team will be more experienced as they have had added a year under their belts. The future is bright for the Tankers as last year’s fresh faces are now this year’s veterans. 

Green Tanker team captain Kito Zialcita expressed his thoughts for this season, “Determination and passion, [we’ll be] making winning a tradition.”

A huge hole has been left for the DLSU Tankers as Johansen Aguilar ended his UAAP stint last season. Aguilar, who won the UAAP MVP for three consecutive seasons and holds several national records, will be sorely missed by the team. 

Redemption is the name of the game

It was a tale of two different teams last season when talking about the Green Shuttlers and the Lady Shuttlers. After three straight third place finishes for both squads in the last three tournaments, the Lady Shuttlers were able to garner a runner-up finish while the Green Shuttlers stumbled into fifth place, something they look to improve on this season.

The Green Shuttlers started last season with a bang, winning four of their first five assignments. Despite the good start, they would collapse come season end and eventually settle for 5th place. The Lady Shuttlers, on the other hand, began the tournament on a bad note, losing key match-ups early on. However they would recover their footing in time and were able to make the finals, but eventually losing to rival Ateneo.

This season, both teams aim to get much better results than last season’s campaign. Coach Owen Lopez, who steered both Shuttlers to successive final four appearances, will still head the team. With a young motivated core, expect for a much a better finish from Coach Owen and his squad.  

Translating success in a different setting

The line-ups have yet to be released for the Green and Lady Spikers for their upcoming UAAP beach volleyball tournament. Both teams have not found success in the sand court in past years. 

The different setting and playing style under the sun have yet to be acquainted with DLSU volleyball athletes. Last year’s trio of Red Christensen, Jopet Movido, and Mike Frey of the Green Spikers’ could not register a single win, finishing last in the competition. Meanwhile, the Lady Spikers’ roster of Kim Fajardo, Cienne Cruz, and Cyd Demecillo still managed a fourth place finish despite a lackluster start. 

Regardless of the outcome, expect that whoever suits up for this year’s squad will give it their all to better the performances from last season. 

Grabbing the top awards

DLSU’s judo teams had a great run in Season 76. The Lady Judokas won their first ever UAAP championship in team history. The Green Judokas, meanwhile, ended in third place again, cloning their previous performance.

After finishing fourth in the prior year, the Lady Judokas ramped up their play on the mat. They would gather a total of six medals, three gold, two silvers, and a bronze on their way to the top of the podium. Lady Judoka Nicole More was named the MVP of the women’s tournament. It was a different story for the Green Judokas on their side of things. Instead of a Cinderella like the their female counterparts, they would once again stay in third. 

The Sam Bernales-led Judokas will once again try their best to get to the top in Season 77. Despite the graduation of several key players, don’t be surprised to see the Judokas fight hard for the title. The ladies of the Judo team will try to repeat as champions while the men will try to finish better than third.

Kicking for higher heights in 2014

Last season was bittersweet for the DLSU Taekwondo program as the Green Jins finally took home the UAAP championship, but their female counterparts faltered in their bid to defend their crown, falling to third place.

The Jins from Taft have long been dominant in the UAAP, amassing nine championships, with six coming from the male division and three from the female division. Speculation and doubt was high last season after the retirement of Coach Stephen Fernandez, a legend in Philippine Taekwondo. New coach Roberto Cruz assured the Lasallian community that the Jins are in good hands after a successful first season. 

Reigning UAAP MVP Kevin Sia will still be around to lead the Green Jins in his fifth playing year. 

Paddlers aim to sweep top podium awards

It was a good year last year for La Salle’s table tennis teams. The Green Paddlers were finally able to capture the gold after several years of runner-up finishes. The Lady Paddlers on the other hand, settled for silver after failing to defend their title. They look to continue their success this season, as they try to bag both championship trophies.

The Green Paddlers have made the finals of every tournament in the last four years. Prior to their championship year, they were unable to get out of maiden finishes, losing to UST for three consecutive years. Under the heroics of season MVP Walden Ledesma, they were finally able to break the Tigers’ curse and win the elusive title. 

The Lady Paddlers were the favorite coming into Season 76. They dominated opposing teams and finished the eliminations with a thrice-to-beat advantage. Despite this, they were unable to capitalize on it and were swept by the UP Lady Maroons in the finale. 

Like the past four years, the Paddlers will be favorites to contend for the championship in the tournament. This time, they look to live up to their reputations and win it all for La Salle. Last year’s MVP Walden Ledesma will once again lead the charge for the table tennis crew in their quest for glory.

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Lasallian sports will come alive once again this 2014. Most squads will be contending for a championship in their respective sports, helping La Salle’s bid for a third straight overall championship. As another UAAP season draws closer, the Animo Spirit shall continue to burn among Lasallian athletes who seek to give glory to the Green-and-White.