College teams gear for battle by crossing league fences

Two collegiate leagues are bracing for a March 26 opening, marking the return of in-person varsity competition that has been stalled for about two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And schools are eager to get their campaigns going.

At the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) front, Arellano University’s bubble training has turned up a notch inside the school’s Legarda campus—the Chiefs are looking for tuneup games with neighboring schools seeing action in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

Matches against UAAP schools are being eyed by some of the 10 NCAA member schools as they gear up for Season 97’s opening on March 26 tentatively penciled at La Salle Greenhills gym.

In the UAAP, meanwhile, there is a sense of urgency for schools participating in Season 84, which will run a limited number of events.

UAAP schools see the trimmed calendar as a means to even up the playing field when it comes to the coveted overall championship, which the league board has agreed to handing out this season.

“Yes, we will have a general championship,” said league president Emmanuel Calanog of La Salle in a press conference on Friday. “Some of our schools don’t participate in all of the events and this may be their chance to actually win a general championship.”

University of Santo Tomas has been the dominant school in the overall championship race for the past decades.

The fact that both leagues will open on the same date is a departure from tradition. The NCAA and the UAAP normally unveil their seasons a week apart,

But more than being a problem, the dual opening is being seen as a positive development in the race to the new normal as the country continues to recuperate from the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 health crisis.

Plus, it provides schools a chance to cross league lines for their preseason buildup.

“The idea is to play against a team from the UAAP so we (NCAA teams) get to keep our cards close to our chest,” said NCAA management committee member Peter Cayco of Arellano.

But tuneup games will still hinge on less restrictive health protocols, which in turn are hinged on the daily infection rate.

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