DE LA SALLE ended a 10-year drought by bagging the men’s chess championship and National University (NU) repeated as women’s tennis titlists—thanks to the Patrimonio sisters Clarice and Christine—in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 77 action over the weekend.
De La Salle hammered out a 3-1 victory over Adamson University to bag the men’s crown at the close of the chess tournament last Sunday at the Henry Sy Sr. Building inside the DLSU campus.
National Master Jerad Docena and Franz Grafil starred for the Green Woodpushers in the final round as they frustrated the Falcons’ bid to clinch their first title in 25 years.
With 40.5 points, De La Salle grabbed its seventh men’s title overall to tie University of Santo Tomas (UST) as the second most successful squad behind Far Eastern University’s (FEU) 14. The Taft-based team last won the crown in the 2004-2005 season behind Grandmaster John Paul Gomez.
Docena was named the tournament Rookie-Most Valuable Player in the men’s division.
Adamson University garnered 37 points to finish runner-up for the second straight season. The Growling Tigers finished with 33.5 points in third spot, while last season’s champions Tamaraws crashed to fourth place with 30.5 points.
FEU, meanwhile, ended De La Salle’s four-year reign in the women’s division, spoiling the Taft-based school’s bid for a rare championship double.
Despite a 1.5-2.5 loss to De La Salle in the 14th and final round, FEU gained enough cushion to bag its second women’s crown with 44 points. The Lady Woodpushers settled for second place with 43 points.
The much-anticipated top board duel between Woman International Masters (WIM) Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Janelle Mae Frayna ended in a draw, but the Lady Tamaraws secured the championship after Shania Mae Mendoza defeated fellow Woman Fide Master Cherry Mae Mejia on Board 2.
The gold medalists in the men’s division were Ateneo IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia (Board 1), De La Salle’s Docena (Board 2), Adamson University’s Kevin Labog (Board 3), UST’s Christian Flores (Board 4), De La Salle’s Nigel Galan (Board 5) and University of the Philippines’s Justin Corpin (Board 6).
FEU’s Frayna (Board 1), De La Salle’s Mejia (Board 2), WIM Bernadette Galas also of La Salle (Board 3), FEU’s Venice Vicente (Board 4) and Nikki Yngayo (Board 5) and Cyamie Villanueva (Board 6) were the gold- medal winners in the women’s side.
In the juniors division, NU claimed the crown with 37.5 points, beating FEU-Diliman (33) and Adamson University (32).
The Bullpups’ Ryan Magtabog took the MVP award, while University of the East’s Lee Roi Palma was the Rookie of the Year.
NU swept its way to a second straight women’s crown with a 3-0 rout of UST in the final playing day on Sunday at the Olivarez Sports Center in Parañaque City.
The doubles tandem of Hannah Espinosa and Junnelyn Polito also shone for the Lady Bulldogs, who won the best-of-three title series, 2-0.
Clarice Patrimonio, the tournament MVP, tripped Macy Gonzales, 6-2, 6-2, in the first singles, while Espinosa and Polito downed Lenelyn Milo and April Santos, 6-2, 6-1, in the first doubles.
Christine Patrimonio, last season’s MVP, hacked out a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Kendies Malinis in the second singles to seal the deal for NU.
The Lady Bulldogs also fashioned out a 3-0 win over Season 75 champion UST in the Finals opener.
NU has earlier captured its third straight men’s tennis championship with another perfect 11-0 season, extending its unbeaten three-year run to 33 ties. The Bulldogs’ Fritz Verdad was named MVP.