Camille Naredo

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UAAP Season 88

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761293283125UAAP Season 88 Badminton - Champion - Ateneo - 2256.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Ateneo men&#x27;s badminton team after its triumphant campaign in UAAP Season 88, October 22, 2025 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. UAAP Media"/>The Ateneo men&#x27;s badminton team after its triumphant campaign in UAAP Season 88, October 22, 2025 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. UAAP Media</div>MANILA -- Ateneo de Manila University underscored its status as one of the league&#x27;s most successful programs in badminton, pulling off a double championship in UAAP Season 88.The Blue Eagles soared back to the top after last season&#x27;s heartbreak, as both the men&#x27;s and women&#x27;s teams went undefeated throughout the tournament. Ateneo swept all 14 ties across both divisions to reclaim the crowns they lost a year ago.The men&#x27;s squad secured its sixth UAAP title, dropping only three matches throughout the 10-day competition. Meanwhile, the women&#x27;s team captured its eighth championship, yielding just two matches along the way.This season&#x27;s redemption run was fueled by the sting of last year&#x27;s disappointment, when Ateneo failed to defend both titles it had won in Season 86.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/10/22/uaap-ateneo-completes-perfect-season-claims-men-s-badminton-crown-1520">READ: Ateneo completes perfect season, claims men&#x27;s badminton crown</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/10/22/uaap-ateneo-women-dominate-nu-to-claim-badminton-gold-2024">READ: Ateneo women dominate NU to claim badminton gold</a></div>&quot;Definitely, ang daming learning experience from what happened last year, so talagang gutom sila to take it back,&quot; said head coach Kennie Asuncion-Robles. &quot;Dinibdib ng mga players ‘yon. Sabi talaga nila, that&#x27;s what we&#x27;re gonna work for.&quot;From that heartbreak, the Blue Eagles rose stronger, determined to reclaim what was once theirs.Ateneo also rebuilt its nest with fresh recruits from the national junior team and the return of a former stalwart, completing a roster that was deeper and more balanced than ever.It also helped that two of Ateneo&#x27;s mainstays, Mika De Guzman and Arthur Salvado Jr., stayed on the team despite finishing their undergraduate studies. As De Guzman put it, &quot;I think it&#x27;s like giving back to the school as well.&quot;With a reloaded lineup, the Ateneo coaching staff focused on keeping the players healthy — a major challenge from the previous season.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761293312385UAAP Season 88 Badminton - Champion - Ateneo - 2207.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Ateneo women&#x27;s badminton team after its triumphant campaign in UAAP Season 88, October 22, 2025 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. UAAP Media"/>The Ateneo women&#x27;s badminton team after its triumphant campaign in UAAP Season 88, October 22, 2025 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. UAAP Media</div>&quot;It helped that we had a good recruitment team. It pays off na hindi sobrang pagod ‘yung players mo; hindi kailangang mag-double event lahat. It was a big help,&quot; Asuncion-Robles shared.&quot;Very important din ‘yung prepared kami, kasi nga di ba last year, nagkasakit si Mika? May two team ties na hindi namin siya na-field in. Siyempre, it took its toll on the team. Kaya talagang this time, ‘yan ang isa sa talagang ininsure namin, na walang magkakasakit, ako lang, OK lang.&quot;Now that the mission has been fulfilled, Asuncion-Robles hopes the Blue Eagles will carry the momentum — and the lessons from past heartbreaks — into their title defense next season.&quot;I&#x27;m very proud of that, that we can consistently win. I also find ways to challenge myself, kasi nga, it&#x27;s a different set of players you dream with every single time. Siguro, it&#x27;s the fire within the coaches na, we want to dream with these players,&quot; she said.Women&#x27;s MVP Mika De Guzman may have just played her swan song, but she leaves with pride and hope that her teammates will continue to build their own legacy.&quot;I&#x27;m very happy and proud of the team; we were able to bring the double gold back to Ateneo. I&#x27;m just really proud of everyone. I want to see how much they want to win it all again next season,&quot; said the three-time UAAP MVP.Meanwhile, Lyrden Laborte, the men&#x27;s MVP and co-captain, vowed to follow De Guzman and Salvado&#x27;s example by completing his five years of eligibility, fueled by a desire to keep Ateneo&#x27;s winning culture alive.&quot;Like what happened in Season 87, we will stay motivated and stay hungry. We will use this as motivation to strive again for another championship next season,&quot; said the two-time MVP.

Ateneo de Manila University underscored its status as one of the league's most successful programs in badminton, pulling off a double championship in UAAP Season 88.

Ateneo de Manila University underscored its status as one of the league's most successful programs in badminton, pulling off a double championship in UAAP Season 88.

UAAP: Ateneo finds redemption with double gold in badminton

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UAAP: Ateneo finds redemption with double gold in badminton

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 24, 2025 04:11 PM PHT

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