26th BBEAL Season kicks off August

BAGUIO and Benguet’s top colleges and universities renew their rivalry as the 26th season of the Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League opens August 25 with University of Baguio hosting the annual event.

Ten sports disciplines, including the premiere basketball tournament, get underway in the first phase of the tournament with eight other sports events to be staged in the second semester of the season.

Volleyball, archery, badminton, chess, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, tae kwon do and arnis will be played in the first part of the 26th season.

“Everything is in place and where ready for hosting BBEAL,” said UB’s athletic director Ed Laureano.

Closing out the 26th season, which will be played from January until the first week of February are athletics, baseball, boxing, football, judo, lawn tennis, softball, and wushu.

BBEAL was organized in 1986 with just 7 member schools but now has nine member schools from Baguio City and Benguet, namely: Baguio Central University Eagles (BCU), Benguet State University Wildcats (BSU), Cordillera Career Development College Admirals (CCDC), and Philippine Military Academy Cavaliers (PMA), Pines City Colleges Warriors (PCC), Saint Louis University Navigators, Host UB Cardinals, University of the Cordilleras Jaguars, and University of the Philippines-Baguio Maroons (UP).

The UC Jaguars will have its hands full as it defends the men’s basketball crown after defeating many time champion UB Cardinals in an epic three game championship series while the Lady Navigators eye another repeat in the distaff side.

The Navigators and the Lady Cardinals, meanwhile, will defend their crown in the men’s and women’s volleyball while UB and SLU seek title retention bids in the men’s and women’s chess.

SLU will also aim for a back to back title in badminton and archery for the men’s and women’s side while UC guns for another unprecedented run in sepak takraw where it remains king for the last five years.

Host UB Cardinals, on the other hand, bids for another title run in the men and women’s swimming and arnis as the race for the championship in tae kwon do and table tennis will be a toss-up between UB who won the championship in the men’s table tennis and tae kwon do while SLU holds the women’s crown table tennis and tae kwon do. (Roderick Osis)