AMIDST A sea of blue and white, a display of torches—held by the captains of the champion teams—kindled the bonfire that stood at the center of the Ateneo Grade School Parking Area last March 21.
The lighting of the bonfire signaled the end of yet another successful year in Ateneo sports, which witnessed numerous record-breaking and historic feats. This year’s cadre of champions featured a diverse selection that consisted of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s and women’s teams of volleyball, baseball and swimming, and the juniors basketball, judo and swimming.
Ateneo Tankers
The Blue and Lady Tankers reclaimed the top spot at the UAAP Philippine Swimming Championships last October 2 to 5, 2014 at Rizal Memorial Stadium, holding a feat of 60 medals—31 gold, 22 silver, seven bronze–coupled with 22 records.
With a strong pool of veterans and youngsters, the Blue Tankers bagged the first podium finish, giving the team 540 points, 11 records, 18 gold, 15 silver and five bronze medals.
On the other end, the Lady Tankers redeemed their championship title after five years of being under the University of the Philippines’ crown, putting in 468 points, 11 records, 13 gold, seven silver and two bronze medals.
Both teams also won all the special awards in their respective divisions, seniors men’s and women’s: Jessie Lacuna and Hannah Dato for Most Valuable Player (MVP), Aldo Batungbacal and Ariana Herranz for Rookie of the Year, and Sherwin Dela Paz and Candice Esguerra for Coach of the Year.
Lady Tankers Team Captain Jackie Cruz attributes the team’s success to the newfound chemistry and unity it gained during the season. She admits that in previous years, the team would train separately in private swim clubs outside of campus. However, a newfound commitment in training together helped them motivate each other to attain their goals.
“We really had to work on the dynamics of the team because we were really working on making the team more united,” she says in a mix of English and Filipino. “It’s a domino effect. To achieve the change for the team, [we had to] start from our ourselves.”
To wrap up their dominating season, the Ateneo swimming program also made history with the grand slam as the men’s, women’s and the junior’s teams took home the gold for the Blue and White.
Blue Batters
Moving on to the diamond, the Ateneo Blue Batters clinched their third consecutive championship title with a come-from-behind stint against the De La Salle Green Archers last March 12 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
With help from its graduating veteran players, the team recovered from their slow start—ending the game at 3-2—to complete the finals series sweep.
Once again, Andy Tan was named the MVP while Matt Laurel was awarded the Best Slugger for the season. The latter also received recognition for Most RBIs and Home Runs.
It will be a tough season next year for the Blue Batters, who will be losing a total of six veterans due to graduation. But for now, third year first baseman Ryon Tionloc shares that the team is simply grateful for letting them leave with a championship.
“For a senior, you want to graduate on top and we wanted to give that to them. The six of them, they are super influential people on the team. They are all mentors to everyone. They’re great leaders and captains. They are the ones who pushed us to do our very best,” Tionloc said.
Blue Spikers
After falling short last season in the Finals against the National University Bulldogs, the Ateneo Blue Spikers dominantly secured the crown with a 2-0 series sweep against their rivals last March 7 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Third year middle hitter Rex Intal shared that just a week after their loss last year, the team immediately started twice-a-day trainings to prepare themselves for the season.
“We felt that we really deserved the championship after all the hardships we’ve been through. Now that we’re champions, it’s surreal to think that all you needed was hard work and determination,” he says in a mix of English and Filipino.
The team finished the rematch in four sets, scoring 23-25, 25-23, 25-23 and 25-15, with Intal delivering a powerful running spike in the fourth set to earn the championship.
Both Marck Espejo and Ish Polvorosa were once again hailed as the MVP and Best Setter of the league, respectively. Polvorosa also walked away as the Finals series MVP with his excellent performance as the team’s facilitator.
Lady Eagles
The Ateneo Lady Eagles made UAAP volleyball history last March 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena as they bagged the back-to-back championship and a flawless 16 winning-game streak against their perennial rivals, the De La Salle University Lady Spikers.
The team delivered a finals series sweep at 2-0 and a three-set sweep during the last court battle scoring 25-22, 25-17 and 25-23.
For the second year in a row, Alyssa Valdez was named both MVP and Best Server. She was also awarded the Best Scorer for the third consecutive time in the league. Denden Lazaro also garnered her second consecutive Best Receiver award while Jia Morado achieved the Best Setter title for the season. Additionally, Amy Ahomiro was given the Finals MVP award.
Despite the national exposure that came with their dominant run, the Lady Eagles never let their success get to their heads. Team Captain Ella De Jesus shared that Coach Anusorn “Tai” Bundit made sure that the team remained humble, even when the wins were piling up.
“With Coach Tai, he’d always reminds us, ‘You’re not superstars.’ He always tells us that,” she says in a mix of English and Filipino. “He always made us feel that it wasn’t enough. That’s why we never felt that we were on top. We never relaxed.”
This bonfire, like the many ones before it truly is a night to appreciate the dedication and hard work these athletes give their respective sports and school the whole year round. It was a year-end celebration of the successes and experiences for the season that was, the gratitude and pride for the teams, their One Big Fights, and the spirit it brings to the whole community of the Blue and White.
