WITH BONFIRES put out and championship banners raised, Team Ateneo is reminding everyone that there is a lot to look forward to in the second semester.

This includes a dash by the Blue and White for fourth in the UAAP General Championship Race.

Ateneo has garnered 98 points from the first semester sports, bagging championships in men’s basketball and judo. Despite trailing FEU and UP, who are both tied in third place with 111 points, Loyola Heights is brimming with hope with several up and coming teams in their ranks.

“We think [fourth] is a realistic goal,” said Emmanuel Fernandez of the University Athletics Office.

The goal will need, of course,   collective effort from the second semester squads in order to reach Ateneo’s best finish in recent memory.

Early starts

Men’s and women’s volleyball kicked off the second half of festivities in the UAAP. The Lady Spikers began their campaign against defending champion UST on November 27, in a season wherein they are expected to make a return trip to the Final Four.

But it will be the Blue and Lady Batters who will have to make some changes in their holiday plans. The UAAP has moved baseball and softball to December instead of the usual January schedule.

Fernandez explained that softball and baseball had always been November sports. “NU wanted the games moved earlier in order to make sure they wouldn’t conflict with final exams if games were moved or postponed,” said Fernandez.

With one less month to prepare, the Blue and Lady Batters trained for the season much earlier, as they hope to bounce back from last season’s struggles.

The Blue Batters beefed up their line-up with seven rookies who have all represented the Philippines in international competitions.

With new faces in the team and a better training regiment, the team hopes to do better than last year’s dismal record and eventually, make it to the Final Four.

For the Lady Batters, infielder Chabeli Campa said that the team was counting on the extra month to help them gel as a unit. “But our coaches have pushed us to work hard and be ready come December,” she said.

Banged up Booters

Ateneo requested for football to be given an earlier kickoff date in order to have games solely on Sundays. But the UAAP has denied the appeal and decided to keep the old schedule of having two games a week on both weekdays and weekends.

The one game day a week proposal was intended by Ateneo officials to help the players out in dealing with the tough grind of the traditional schedule. “Players got really tired playing twice a week…you would see some of the players reading papers before games, or while warming up,” said Blue Booter Anton Amistoso.

The Blue Booters, who are in a rebuilding phase are still in the process of finding the right lineup for the UAAP wars in January.

Coach Ompong Merida is hoping to be a contender this year, after two consecutive unsuccessful campaigns.

Meanwhile, the Lady Booters are coming off a successful third place finish at the University Games and are out to prove that despite being a young team, they have what it takes to make waves in the UAAP.

The finish line

Perhaps the last piece of the General Championship puzzle is the Ateneo Blue Tracksters. Since Track and Field is the last sport of the season, close races in the overall tally are usually decided during the three-day meet.

The Blue Tracksters, who are coming off second and third place finishes from previous years, know that they will be counted on to deliver the gold for Ateneo.

“We hope this will be the year they can break into the championship,” said Fernandez.