Keeping up One Big Fight. The 4-Peat basketball championship was one of the many sports achievements so far this season that helped Ateneo reach third place in the UAAP general championship. Photo by Pia B. Guballa

AFTER THE first season of sports, Ateneo sits at third in the Season 74 UAAP General Championship race with 117 points—a significant improvement from last season’s fifth place, 98-point midway performance. UST continues its dominance with 151 points, while La Salle sits at second with 139 points. Trailing behind Ateneo is FEU at fourth place with 111 points.

Points for the UAAP General Championship tally are awarded according to each school’s team ranking in the specific sports. Since there are eight ranks, the points given are 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 respectively. A school that does not field a team for a certain sport does not receive any points for such.

Thrusting Ateneo up the general standings were the championship titles clinched by the men’s basketball and men’s badminton teams, earning a combined 30 points for Ateneo’s total score. Additionally, second place finishes by the women’s badminton, women’s beach volleyball and women’s swimming teams added a total of 36 points, while men’s judo and men’s swimming added 20 points in total for earning bronze medal honors.

Seven of the Ateneo teams earned podium honors, yielding a substantial 86 points of the 117-point total. This is compared to last season’s campaign, wherein only five teams placed in the top three—the sole championship coming from men’s basketball—garnering a mere 64 points. With breakthrough performances coming from the Lady Shuttlers and Lady Beach Spikers, the podium finishers have increased by two, significantly improving this season’s run at the UAAP General Championships.

“Before the season began, the prospect of placing third after the first semester sports was very probable,” shared Emmanual Fernandez, the Assistant Director for Operations of the University Athletics Office (UAO) and the Secretary-Treasurer of UAAP Season 74.

Achieving third place halfway through the UAAP season has been done in the past, but sustainability has eluded Ateneo.

Last year, Ateneo ended the UAAP Season 73 at sixth overall. Ateneo has yet to win the UAAP General Championship.  “Actually, we could have completely secured the third ranking if some of our teams placed higher,” Fernandez pointed out. “But too bad; we will have to put up ‘one big fight’ to keep the third seed.”

Gaining a higher rank at the end of the season is highly unlikely with UST, already at first place, poised to bag another title. Archrival La Salle forges ahead with 22 points, a distance already difficult to bridge. Consequently, Ateneo must defend its third seed from usurpers.

Given that Ateneo is only six points ahead of FEU and 12 points ahead of UP, the possibilities of history repeating itself is very likely: Ateneo will be competing with FEU and UP for third place.

Fernandez explained that it will not be an easy task, since UP, FEU and UE always bounce back in the second semester.  “We are banking on strong performances in sports such as baseball and volleyball,” he said. He noted that the performance of the beach volleyball teams is indicative of the performance of the volleyball teams. “They are essentially based on the same program,” he said.

Despite the 22-point differential, and schools trailing within striking distance, the second season Ateneo teams are determined to improve Ateneo’s chances at a general championship.

Coming off a loss in the finals of the UAAP Women’s Beach Volleyball Championships and a fourth place finish at the Shakey’s V-League, the ladies are looking to redeem themselves in the upcoming UAAP tournament. “There’s only one goal for the [Lady Spikers], and that’s to play in the finals and win,” said Lady Spiker Bea Tan. After being humbled by the Central Philippine University Spikers in the recently concluded Unigames, the Lady Spikers are eager to make a title run this UAAP volleyball season.

The Blue Batters—having finished fourth last year, and whose last podium appearance came in UAAP Season 71—are still in search of their winningest season. Blue Batter Chip Esguerra said, “I think we will do better than last year, as long as we remain focused and hungry. We have the tools to go all the way; we just have to use them in the right way.”

The Blue Batters return to this year’s baseball tournament with hopeful spirits, an experienced core of players and eager recruits. Adding the fact that UST, last year’s undefeated champion, lost a handful of veteran players to graduation, the chances of Ateneo placing better this season are bright.

The UAAP volleyball tournament kicks off the second half of the sports season on November 27, Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Arena. The other second semester sports are football, fencing, chess, track and field, baseball, softball and tennis.