NU men's badminton team wins ninth title, sweeps Ateneo

National University's men's badminton team secured their ninth championship in just 11 seasons with a decisive 3-0 sweep over Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Returning MVP Lanz Zafra, who sat out last season due to injury, clinched two crucial matches for NU: defeating Lance Vargas in singles and teaming up with Nestojan Tapales in doubles against Arthur Salvado Jr. and Lance Vargas.

Mark Velasco also made a significant contribution by defeating reigning MVP Lyrden Laborte in a closely contested match, giving the Bulldogs an unassailable 2-0 lead.

University of the Philippines claimed third place for the third consecutive year, sweeping University of Santo Tomas with dominant performances from Jelo Albo and Shan Clar, who won their singles matches convincingly against Lennox Cuilao and Ivan Tuazon respectively.

UP's women's team also celebrated a decisive 3-1 finals victory over Ateneo, marking UP's first women's badminton title since the program's three consecutive titles in Seasons 77 to 79.