Who let the NU Bulldogs out?

Mike Ochosa

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Who let the NU Bulldogs out?
Despite being one of the "Big 3" universities that started the UAAP in the 1930s, National University has not been a real threat in the UAAP…until now

MANILA, Philippines – As the defending champions National University (NU) Bulldogs try to muscle their way into the final four of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)  Season 78 men’s basketball tournament, another group of young athletes represented the school for the very first time in the sport of swimming.

Last October, Martin Jacob Pulos brought home a bronze in the Men’s 800m freestyle competition while the team of Dan Christian Leyba, Miguel Adormeo, Leandro Faelnar and Jerico Salas also won a bronze in the Boy’s 4x50m medley relay.

Joaquin “Chito” Loyzaga, newly appointed athletics director of NU was beaming with pride when he shared this milestone. The move represents the school’s commitment in regaining their lost glory in sports. Competing in sports like swimming and athletics provide the school a better chance at winning the overall championship. “Swimming and athletics allow us to win more medals that is why we will be focusing on these two sports,” Loyzaga quips.

A university for Filipinos

Although NU was part of the “Big 3” universities that started the UAAP in the 1930s, it had never been a dominant competitor in the league. Aside from winning the men’s basketball title in 1954, NU has not been a real threat…until now.

After bringing up the rear in the standings in the 80s and most of the 90s, a resurgent National University reintroduced itself in recent competitions. In 2008, the Sy family (of SM Prime Holdings) acquired 60% of the school and committed to adhere to the institution’s original direction of providing low cost quality education.

The university was built on a culture of “Dynamic Filipinism” built upon the  guiding principle of “internalizing all that is good in the Filipino.” Loyzaga shared that every student athlete that he meets in the corridors would ask for his hand and “make mano” as a sign of respect. It’s an action that he says he does not see much nowadays from the youth in other schools, which is why he is doubly excited to lead the growth of the university’s sports program.

Loyzaga heads NU athletics

When he took office early this year, Loyzaga was well aware of the history of NU in sports. The school was very much involved but did not have much success. “I did not expect much. I saw it as a new experience, it’s growing,  I didn’t expect it to be perfect, it was still experiencing growing pains and I guess I am now part of that.” Even if NU has had recent remarkable successes in basketball and volleyball, the institution still lags in terms of experience compared to their counterparts like Far Eastern University, University of Sto. Tomas and University of the Philippines.

Loyzaga shared that the sports plans of the university seemed to be deliberate and calculated. Sports remain to be a strategic variable of the school’s rebuilding process. However, he also pointed out that there were no formal written plans. 

The selection of what sport to focus on depended greatly on who had the passion for it and who wanted to lead its development.  “Mr. Hans (Sy) has a lot of friends who wanted to help rebuild the school when they took over in 2008”. Each NU sports team is manned by a manager and a coaching staff.  “Each of whom I have found out were all very passionate about their chosen sport”, Loyzaga adds.

Loyzaga, who once was the Commissioner of the UAAP, says that delegation is the key to NU’s success in sports over the past recent years.  School management has allowed the assigned managers to support and grow the team as long as it corresponds to the school’s over-all direction.  He says that everything starts with trust.  Friends and supporters of Mr. Sy were all willing to help in developing the school’s sports program.  He describes their operation as having a familial atmosphere where everyone trusts each other.

He attributes the success of this process to the fact that there is a common goal to succeed. “Nanggaling sa wala, partner (came from nothing)”, saying that there really was no other way but up given the relative lack of success of NU’s past athletics thrust. Everybody helps out everybody.  Loyzaga boasts of the fact that each the athletes themselves watch each other’s games as a show of support. 

Three legs of success

Loyzaga identifies three keys to the successful turnaround of NU sports.  He identifies having resources to be the first important variable.  He follows that up however by sharing that resources will only be of value if there is a clear development program and having the correct person to lead its implementation.

Aside from basketball, National University has claimed dominance in the sport of cheer dancing. It now boasts of winning the championship three years in a row.  Loyzaga looks at their cheer dancing team as ambassadors of the school.  He considers this team to be the model that all the other NU teams should follow.

He intimates that soon after they defended their championship a month ago, the team has already started planning for next year’s competition.  “I see them practice almost every night before I go home”, he says.  He describes the team as autonomous and self led but clearly has the blessings and support of NU community.

Moving forward however is where his task lies. “The success of a sports program will always attract more people to come in. At the end of the day you will have to sustain it. And when you have limited resources and facilities it will also be difficult”. He sees the organization moving forward with baby steps as they have done over the past 8 years.

Building and sustaining

Loyzaga has a very clear idea on what he needs to do. “You don’t measure it by only one success, you measure it by how you maintain it as you go along. It has to be self sufficient, has to make business sense and valuable for everybody.”

A strong school sports program will always have a tangible effect on the attractiveness of the institution. “You know, from just a little over 1,000 students in 2008, NU now has approximately a population of 8,000 students”, says Loyzaga. NU has now positioned itself as a college option alongside its UAAP counterparts.

Loyzaga however downplays the successes of the past 5 years. He acknowledges that the basketball team has to sustain its presence and competitiveness as much as the cheerdancing team has done. He is looking at volleyball to be the next sport they will dominate in. More than that, he is aiming for the general championship (thus the entries into swimming).

Loyzaga shares a story which he uses to highlight the true reason of the university’s success in sports. Jerico Salas, the young man who anchored their boy’s 4x50m swimming medley relay was scouted and recruited from a Yolanda battered barangay in the Visayas. National University brought this boy in, offered him an athletic scholarship and gave him an opportunity for a better future.  

And this he says is what rallied everyone together. “I have a personal goal, because you are working with the academe and the youth… perhaps I was looking forward to be able to share my own experiences with the new generation of athletes.”

The commitment to the future

Loyzaga shares a glimpse of what is to come. “NU wants to also be known for its sports program. Before, it was about engineering and then accounting… there has to be a balance in education and sports.”  National University’s rise from the bottom of the heap to a competitive group to recon with is something all other schools should take notice of.  They are now competing in in swimming and will field a team in athletics soon.  

He smiled and said, “Ganito (It’s like this) partner, if you have a high school graduate and you give him an opportunity to choose a college and he gets free scholarship…the high school graduate will consider Ateneo, La Salle UP, particularly if that student came from these schools and will never consider to go to NU.” 

Then he stops and smiles and says “But one day,  one day, we want that high school student to choose NU.” – Rappler.com

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