Back on Track: DLSU Tracksters chase glory once again
Championship.
Team Captain Franz Bintad promised nothing less than that as the DLSU Green and Lady Tracksters once again battle it out on the field this UAAP Season 86.
Bintad reiterated the promise of the past seasons. The Tracksters were seen as one of the biggest threats in track and field. The past few seasons however saw the team deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, being excluded in the few sports allowed to continue in Seasons 82 through 84. The full calendar of sports returned just last year, which saw the Lady Tracksters falling just short of a golden finish in Season 85.
Season 85 Recap
Track and field saw a much-awaited return to the UAAP last Season 85. Officially termed the UAAP Track and Field Championships, it features a multitude of events like sprinting, long-distance running, hurdles, steeplechases, the long jump, pole vault, and discus throw. The games are perennially held in the PhilSports Track and Field Oval in Pasig City. The competition runs for a handful of days, the events scattered across that span of time to allow athletes to compete in multiple events. Standings are through a point-rank system wherein only the top eight placers of the events will be able to give points to their team. Gold medal finishes garner 15 points.
Last season, the DLSU Lady Tracksters were bested by the UST Lady Tracksters. La Salle was dominating the standings during the first few days, but UST was already hot on their heels. By the fourth day of competition, UST had snatched the lead, tallying 58 points to bring their total to 258, 12 more than DLSU’s 246.
“Kami yung nagle-lead sa championship, then boom, naunahan kami ng other team. Parang na-down yung team, yung baka hindi na natin mahabol. Nag-start na yung negativity hanggang finals,” lamented Bintad. The two teams were neck-and-neck the whole tournament. UST amassed 307 points, while DLSU settled with 287. Both teams gapped the third and fourth places by more than a hundred points.
The Green Tracksters similarly put out valiant efforts, but were only able to muster a seventh place finish by the end of their campaign. On the men’s side, UP won back-to-back championships with a staggering 358 points that awarded the university their first medal that season.
Field of Opposition
The environment has not changed much as the teams to beat last season are still the same ones to beat this Season 86. UST fields one of the most competitive teams out there. In fact, the UST Lady Tracksters enjoyed a five-peat run from Seasons 77 to 8, with only the pandemic stopping them from adding another.
One factor that Bintad pointed out for their success is the sheer number of athletes they can send out. DLSU’s lineup for Season 86 only includes 19 athletes, while UST has 20 athletes on the women’s side alone. This makes it more convenient for the latter as they are able to employ more athletes in more events.
In the men’s side, Green Tracksters’ biggest competition is UP, as they have dominated for the past two seasons in a field once ruled by FEU.
Off-Season Preparation
There was no downtime for the Tracksters during the offseason. They actively join the weekly relays organized by PATAFA in Pasig. These are weekly tournaments with Schedules A and B wherein the former showcases athletes in the elite category, while the latter is for the under-20 and under-18 age groups. DLSU regularly participates in both. These prove to be great tune-up games for the upcoming season, as they battle it out with the same rival schools they will be facing in the UAAP.
The coaches use these weekly relays to assess the performances of the student-athletes. So far, La Salle has shown spectacular performances.
Team Status
Only a handful of changes has occurred since the previous season. Franz Bintad was promoted to team captain as she succeeded Daniella Daynata, the previous captain. A couple of other seniors graduated, and only one rookie was added to the roster, who Bintad talked highly of. She fearlessly announces a Rookie of the Year plum for Anna Marie Eugenio.
“Ang ganda ng performance niya nung PATAFA,” she says. In those weekly relays, Eugenio collected two bronze medals in the 3000-meter-steeplechase and 800-meter run, plus a silver in the 1500-meter run. Certainly no pedestrian feats.
In addition to this, the Green and White’s hunger to bring the crown back to Taft still remains.
The National Trio
When asked about who she thinks are the most improved players this past off-season, Bintad proudly lauded her three national-level teammates.
This past year has been quite busy for Bernalyn Bejoy, Jessel Lumapas, and Abcd Agamanos.
Bejoy and Lumapas, along with national athletes Maureen Schrijvers and Robyn Brown, reset the National Record for the 4x400 meter women’s relay in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. They broke the 30-year-old record held by no less than track and field greats Lydia de Vega and Elma Muros. This earned the quartet a silver medal in the event, just behind Vietnam.
Jessel also went on to participate in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China held last September. Triple jumper Abcd Agamanos, a second-year UAAP medalist, has similarly shown up for the national flag in the Taiwan Open last May 2023.
These experiences gave them good exposure to a higher level of play, which hopefully will translate to the collegiate level.
“I’m happy for them since grabe yung level of improvement nila sa sarili nila. Like, nag-personal bests sila,” Bintad joyfully narrates. In that same SEA Games, Bejoy indeed broke a personal record in the 800-meter run. It was already her third appearance for the Philippines in the SEA Games.
“Dahil sa kanila din, sumisipag yung team sa pagt-training palagi.” Bintad shared that though the three athletes train in Pasig away from the DLSU team, they are still in constant contact with each other. “Palagi din nila kinokontak…to ask advice. My team listens to them.”
Expectations
The last time the crown came home to Taft was in 2004 — that was 19 years ago now. In fact, it was La Salle’s sole track and field championship in the UAAP since joining the league in 1986.
This time around, the team is set on bringing it back to where it belongs.
Alam ko pong magcha-champion kami this season. Nafe-feel ko na.
Catch the DLSU Green and Lady Tracksters as they embark on their UAAP Season 86 campaign from November 22 to November 26, 1 PM onwards, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
