Ateneo, La Salle bets crowned inaugural UAAP esports champs

MANILA, Philippines -- The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) opened its 87th season with its first-ever Esports Tournament, a special demonstration event featuring NBA2K24, Valorant and Mobile Legends Bang Bang.

The esports tournament started last August 13 with the group stages for both NBA2K24 and Valorant at Areté, Ateneo de Manila University.

After a few days of intense basketball and Valorant play, UAAP crowned its first esports champions: Ateneo de Manila University's Paolo Medina for NBA2K24 and De La Salle University's Viridis Arcus Esports for Valorant.

Medina soared to the top spot of the NBA2K24 event after the group stages at second seed, losing two games. He bounced back with a 2-0 sweep of University of Santo Tomas' Daemiel Argame in the semifinals to reach the grand finals, where he survived a best-of-three series against DLSU's Kegan Yap, 2-1.

“To be the first champion, I am very blessed. I feel I made a mark that will forever be there. I am grateful for this opportunity,” said Medina, a 22-year-old BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship student.

He added, "Not gonna lie, coming into the tournament, I felt very confident. But then, on the first day of the group stage, I lost my game against UST, and then later that same day, I lost against UP. So, it wasn't a cakewalk. It wasn't an easy path to the finals."

In Valorant, DLSU's Viridis Arcus Esports dominated the competition, pulling off an unbeaten 3-0 streak during the group stages, eliminating Adamson University's Adamson Falcons as well as Far Eastern University's Tamaraws Esports from the competition, while besting rivals ADMU's Blue Eagles, 2-0, to take top seed in Group A.

In the semifinals, DLSU survived University of the Philippines, 2-1, to book a ticket to the finals against UST's Teletigers Esports.

DLSU's Aaron Sablay, Derrick Ong, Lucas Gruenberg, Miguel Fernando Dy, Gerardo Luis Corpus II, and Lance Elmo Gacayan showcased a Valorant masterclass, taking down UST's Teletigers Esports in dominant displays, 13-5, 13-7, to seize the first UAAP Valorant Esports crown.

The last esports title for the UAAP Esports event will be Mobile Legends Bang Bang, set Saturday, August 17.