Tag: No. 12

RECRUITMENT woes and residency issues continue to haunt UST as it failed to regain the UAAP overall championship, which went to De La Salle University for the second straight season.

The Growling Tigers collected a total of 274 points, after getting only two gold medals in women’s taekwondo and poomsae, and a league-high eight silver medals in men’s basketball, beach volleyball, athletics, women’s fencing, men’s taekwondo and women’s football. La Salle finished with 289 points.

DESPITE heavy reinforcement, the UST Golden Tigresses succumbed to defending champion National University (NU), 19-25, 22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 15-10, in their nail-biting Shakey's V-League match at The Arena in San Juan last Mar. 30.

UST, which acquired former setter Rhea Dimaculangan and reigning UAAP girls’ Most Valuable Player Ennajie Laure as guest players, dropped their season-opener while the Lady Bulldogs improved to a 2-0 win-loss record in Pool B.

Other teams in the same bracket with the Tigresses are Ateneo de Davao University, Far Eastern University and NCAA teams San Sebastian College-Recolletos and University of Perpetual Help System-DALTA.

UST MAY have finished second to De La Salle University anew in the UAAP seniors division overall championship, but its 48 international athlete awardees may well have made up for the disappointing news.

With five titles in men’s and women’s basketball, table tennis, men’s taekwondo and women’s chess, La Salle ruled Season 76 with 289 points, while UST, which had championships in women’s taekwondo and poomsae, finished with 274 points.

UST’s international awardees, who were feted along with other athletes during the UAAP Season 76 closing ceremonies at the Century Park Hotel in Manila last Mar. 19, were the most number of athletes who competed abroad from a single school.

On court, Ennajie Laure, UAAP girls’ volleyball Best Spiker, is the happy-go-lucky type while younger sister and teammate Ejiya, the tourney’s Best Setter, is the fiery one.

But this contrast in demeanor and their similar passion for the game help make them a potent combination for the UST volleyball squad.

Ennajie, or EJ to her friends, admitted that her smile is part of her strategy.

“Although we’re down by huge deficits in games, if my teammates see me smiling, they lose their jitters,” the 16-year-old volleybelle said. “When opponents see me like that, they’re thrown off their focus because they get the impression that they can’t break my spirit.”

Ejiya, or Eya, has always been the fierce one.

JUGGLING sports, academics and other priorities could be exhausting, so athletes let off steam through hobbies and other personal activities.

Siblings Amber and Arvin Plaza of the UST Golden Sox, both music enthusiasts, are members of “Band 202,” a group they formed with teammate Carlo Conge from College of Education and Golden Sox alumni Gerald Dinglasa and Mick Zapanta

The elder Amber, a Communication Arts senior from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, is lead vocalist while Education junior Arvin plays the bass guitar. Conge is drummer while Dinglasa and Zapanta are rhythm and lead guitarist, respectively.

THE UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe (SDT) placed fourth in the NCR Qualifiers of the National Cheerleading Competition (NCC) last Feb. 8 to 9 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

But the group failed to get a podium finish in the National Finals last Mar. 8 to 9 at the same venue.

Garnering 288 points in the qualifying round, SDT placed fourth in the qualifying round which was topped by reigning UAAP Cheerdance Competition champion National University (NU) Cheer Squadron, with 341.5 points. Two-time NCC champion Central Colleges of the Philippines (CCP) finished second with 294 points, while seven-time NCAA cheerleading champion University of Perpetual Help settled for third with 290 points.

SCORING half of his team’s goals, Stephen Iyerio led the Ecclesiastical Faculties (Eccle) football team to a 5-0 demolition of the Arts and Letters Football Club (ABFC) to rule the Thomasian Goodwill Games men’s football tournament at the UST Open Field last Feb. 26.

Iyerio scored two goals at the opening minute and again at the 8th.

Gab Angeles of ABFC came off a midfield scramble and attacked Eccle’s defense, but was easily denied.

Brian Werunga also put himself on the board, feigning to the left before sending the ball the other way to score the third goal for Eccle at the 60th minute.

At the 77th minute, Iyerio stole the ball off a throw-in, dribbled it from beyond the midfield and connected for Eccle’s fourth goal.

Despite bagging six titles, UST’s streak of UAAP general championships ended at 14 as De La Salle University claimed its first overall crown since joining the league in 1986.

The Green Archers finished with 293 points with five championships, namely in women’s chess, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, and women’s volleyball. UST came in second with 278 markers on the strength of championships in men’s and women’s judo, women’s beach volleyball, men’s taekwondo, table tennis, and chess. Ateneo de Manila University settled for third place with 204 points.

Fr. Ermito De Sagon, O.P., director of the UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics, said the loss should serve as a “wake-up call” for the school.

IT WOULD take more than the extension of residency years to completely eradicate athlete piracy in the UAAP.

But it’s a good start, according to Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., director of the UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics, who also pointed to monetary incentives that prompt athletes to move from one school to another.

“[The proposed UAAP rule] is not sufficient,” De Sagon said. “If we see that it’s not working then we have to implore other ways of curtailing piracy.”

“With the two years [of residency], I don’t think other schools would be paying for athletes who will not be playing for the two years…it is just a starting point of the problem, but we hope the rule can be still improved later,” he added.

THE CAPTAIN took his talents to a higher level.

Outgoing Growling Tigers captain Jeric Fortuna went pro as he suited up for the San Miguel Beermen in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

The 21-year-old point guard, who led the Tigers to a runner-up finish in UAAP Season 75 and the championship in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), will represent not only UST, but also the Philippines.

San Miguel represents the country in the ABL, whose games are held in and out the country.