MIDWAY THROUGH the year, the Ateneo is still looking to catch up with the competition in the Seniors’ division of the Season 76 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) general championships. The Ateneo currently sits at fourth place with a total score of 125 points.

De La Salle University (DLSU) is leading the competition yet again with a total of 162 points—a full 16 point advantage over second place school University of Santo Tomas (UST).

At third place is the University of the Philippines (UP), which has tallied 133 points so far.

Eye-openers

The first semester efforts of the Ateneo were spearheaded by the badminton and judo teams, who both finished with gold. Podium finishes from beach volleyball, swimming and taekwando also contributed significantly to the Ateneo’s general championship race.

The badminton championships bagged by both the Blue and Lady Shuttlers have once again bolstered the Ateneo’s chances at the crown. The Lady Shuttlers earned their second straight championship, while the men’s team redeemed themselves from last season’s frustrating first-runner-up finish.

One of the prime forces behind the success of the Blue Shuttlers is Justin Natividad, whose stellar play earned him a spot among The GUIDON’s First Semester Top Performers in October.

Whereas the badminton teams were building on their momentum from last season, the performance of the Judo teams this year was quite unexpected. After both Judo teams failed to even qualify for a podium finish in Season 75, the Blue and Lady Judokas won first and second place in this year’s tournaments, respectively. In a previous interview with The GUIDON, Coach Ali Sulit admitted,“[It was] definitely a big leap from how we did last year.”

Blue Judokas Team Captain Matthew Jao paved the way for his team’s stellar performance, bagging the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award while winning a gold medal in the men’s +100kg category. Alongside him was Rookie of the Year Ralph Sapi, who finished with a bronze medal in the -73kg category.

The Blue and Lady Tankers were heavy favorites coming into their tournament, having ended Season 75 with first and second place, respectively. This year, the Lady Tankers were able to dominate the individual awards because of the efforts of Rookie of the Year

Thea Caluma and MVP Celina Gonzalez. This pushed the Lady Tankers to yet another second place finish, while the Blue Tankers managed to garner a podium finish at third.

Although they fell short of their championship goals, both teams are still proud of their accomplishments. In an interview with The GUIDON shortly after the conclusion of the tournament, Head Coach Archie Lim shared, “It is not always reflected in the awards,but this is a great step towards the ultimate goal of the team.”

Other significant contributors to the Ateneo’s overall score of 125 points are the Lady Beach Spikers, who won bronze, and the Blue and Lady Jins, who failed to make a podium finish in the tournament proper but garnered a bronze medal in the Poomsae event.

Poomsae is a contest wherein contestants exhibit a variety of taekwando stances and kicks against an imaginary opponent. This season marks the first time it was officially recognized by the UAAP as a regular sport; as such, it is now included in the general championship tally.

Upsets

Coming into the season as the reigning five-peat champions, expectations were high for the Men’s Basketball team. The Blue Eagles have been a steady contributor to the overall race, their championship wins guaranteeing 15 points to the overall tally every single year.

However this year proved to be radically different. Not only were the Blue Eagles unable to win the championship, they failed to reach the Final Four altogether, losing to the UST Growling Tigers in the final game of the elimination round. A thin front court,several injuries to key players and a new head coach all factored into the difficult season.

While the Blue Eagles were not the favorites to win from the get-go, it was unexpected that their results would put Team Ateneo at a major disadvantage in the championship race so early in the year.

Despite the Ateneo’s current rankings, hope still remains for the Blue and White to earn a podium finish. After all, UP is only a mere eight points away. The second semester features a number of sports that could help push the Ateneo up the standings: Baseball and football are both tipped for repeats of their gold medal performances from last year.

Fencing and volleyball look to contribute as well, having both bagged silver medals last season.

Expectations

However, a recurring theme seems to have developed for the defending Ateneo champions this year. The loss of several key players and individual awardees has placed a lot of gaps in the current rosters. Hopefully, with trusted veterans stepping up to the challenge and the prized recruits coming in, these teams will still be able to see their goals through.

The Blue Batters are looking to continue their impressive play from last season, where they beat National University to secure the championship. However, the loss of Miguel Salud is going to be hard on the team. “Miguel Salud, our pitcher, MVP and Rookie of the Year is a very big loss to our team. His superb pitching was one of the reasons why we won last year,” says Captain Adriane Bernardo.

Salud’s co-MVP Matt Laurel will try to offset the loss of his teammate and hopefully bring the team back to the top of the ranks. His presence, combined with the determination of the team, will hopefully be enough for the Blue Batters to reach their goal.

Joining the Blue Batters in their quest to defending their crown are the Blue Booters.

Last season, the team stopped the upstart dominance of the UP Fighting Maroons, who in the two previous years had won consecutive titles. And although the loss of MVP Nick O’Donnell appears to be a cause for concern, Team Captain Mikko Mabanag is confident but still cautious. “That championship was a big thing but it was more of a reality check that we have the capability to make that big leap.”

For crowd favorite Lady Spikers, the days of Ateneo’s own “Fab Five” are gone, with Lady Spiker veterans Jem Ferrer, Gretchen Ho, Dzi Gervacio, Fille Cainglet and Aillysse Nacachi all finishing up their UAAP playing years. Looking to step up is Team Captain Alyssa Valdez, who will look to avenge the team’s loss last season to the three-time champion DLSU.

Meanwhile, another team looking to help Team Ateneo climb the rankings is the men’s fencing team, who won silver last year. Other teams that the Ateneo community should keep an eye on are the Blue and Lady Woodpushers, Netters and Tracksters.

UST holds the record of the most number of general championships in the seniors division won, having a total of 39. Last year, however, the award went to the Green Archers, dethroning the Tigers for only the second time since the Final Four era began, the first being in Season 60 by UP. With the second semester sports now in full swing, expect the Blue and White to haul in more medals to make a push for a podium finish this season.