Cardinals to defend 14 crowns in 26th BBEAL

ASIDE from hosting the 26th season, University of Baguio (UB) Cardinals will also defend most of the titles in the sports events being lined up for the upcoming Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League (BBEAL) when it opens August 25.

Although they have lost the men’s basketball crown, which they owned 21 times in the league’s 25 year existence, the Cardinals have all the reasons to smile as they will eye title retention in 14 of the 18 sports events being lined up.

It was another sheer display of dominance for UB as it returns in the year-long collegiate competition to defend their crown in the women’s volleyball, men’s table tennis, men’s taekwondo, and the overall reign in swimming and taekwondo for men and women.

The Cardinals will also defend their crowns in judo and athletics for men and women and the title in the women’s wushu and lawn tennis.

“We’ll try to win back the championship in men’s basketball for this year,” claimed UB athletic director Ed Laureano.

Saint Louis University (SLU) will play the spoilers role in UB’s hold of the overall championship as it captured the women’s basketball crown, men’s basketball, women’s chess, archery and badminton for men and women, women’s table tennis and tae kwon do.

The Navigators also won the crown in baseball and men’s softball in the second phase of the tournament.

The University of the Cordilleras, meanwhile, dipped to number three in last year’s 25th BBEAL season with five championships to boast including the premiere men’s basketball.

The Jaguars also held on to win their 15th crown in sepak takraw after losing the women’s volleyball where they reigned supreme for the last six year and at the same time scored their seventh women’s softball crown.

UC remained the home of wushu after annexing the men’s crown despite losing the women’s title and also bagged home the championship in men’s lawn tennis.

Benguet State University, meanwhile, will have their hands full when they defend the men’s football tournament, a title owned by SLU for the last four years. (Roderick Osis)