Who’s bad? The University of the Philippine ladies badminton that’s who.
Led by team captain and UAAP Season 78 Most Valuable Player Bea Bernardo the UP women’s badminton team swept Ateneo De Manila University to win their second consecutive UAAP title.
The UP ladies team has been dominating the league the past two years and posted their 18th consecutive victory in UAAP competition dating back to Season 77.
The other members of the team include UAAP Season 78 Rookie of the Year Lea Inlayo, UAAP Season 77 Most Valuable Player Jessie Francisco, UAAP Season 77 Rookie of the Year Ann Marañon, Malvinne Ann Venice Alcala, Marina Caculitan, Ann Jeline Masongsong, co-captain Maria Elisha Gabrielle Ongcuangco, Micah Rhea Quion and Selina Concepcion San Diego
The state university has traditionally dominated ladies badminton in the UAAP. UP won six successive UAAP Women’s Badminton championships from Seasons 58-63.
The closest approximation of this winning tradition is the UP cheer dance squad which has been passionately supported by the UP community.
Bernardo said after the shock loss to National University in the past cheer dance competition her squad exacted revenge on their NU counterparts on the badminton courts.
Right along with hard work, discipline and sacrifice the foundation of the team is friendship and camaraderie.
Last year Bernardo recruited her friend Marañon to join the squad. Marañon vindicated her trust by helping the squad win the championship in her first year and also by winning the Season 77 Rookie of the Year award.
This year Season 77 MVP Francisco recruited her friend and fellow national team member Inlayo to the squad. Inlayo played an instrumental role in winning this year’s title and she also won Season 78 Rookie of the Year award.
Bernardo said that team members really bonded with one another. There was love, respect and trust developed through mutual sacrifice during their arduous training sessions.
Inlayo, a highly recruited member of the national team put her trust in friend and doubles partner Francisco and joined the UP squad this season. Her choice of UP as well as all her hard work were rewarded with a UAAP title.
She also points to the squad’s camaraderie as key to their success. Members of the team are loyal to one another and are willing to make any sacrifice for one another.
Co-captain Ongcuangco says that unity and the spirit of cooperation pervaded all their activities on and off the court. The team members helped each other even during classes and in their academic activities. It was simply the most natural thing to have each other’s backs that everything carried over during their championship run.
Ongcuangco revealed that members of the badminton team were not just friends but more like sisters belonging to a family.
This spirit of camaraderie pervaded the team as well as their support group, including the pep squad, classmates, teachers, coaches, and friends who regularly came to their games and practices.
Is it any wonder that this team, this family of bad girls, would eventually go on to win the UAAP badminton title?