Tag: Vol. LXXXII

THE UST Tigers bagged their first Millennium Basketball League (MBL) championship at the expense of the Foscon Ship Management team, 65-56, in their showdown at the Lyceum Gym last May 19.

Playing under the UST-Ironcon banner, the Tigers bested six teams in the preseason tournament.

“The players have already developed a winning attitude in preparation for the UAAP season and for the Filoil games,” said Tigers coach Pido Jarencio.

Veteran guard Jeric Fortuna was named tournament MVP, a distinction that showed in the last game where he erupted with 16 points.

Fortuna unleashed seven crucial jumpers to give the España contingent a 15-point cushion, 59 -44, in the payoff period.

TIGER Paddlers dominated the Metropolitan Table Tennis Association (Metta) Cup with a 1-3-5 gold-silver-bronze medal during competitions held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila from May 16 to 19.

The tandem of Celjun Ortalla, Junior Paddlers’ head coach, and Mark Jimenez of the Lopue’s Table Tennis Association (Loptta) squad outsmashed the duo of former UST team captain Michael Paña and Glendo Nayre of Huaching-Donic, 6-11, 11-1, 11-7, 12-10, in the team non-rank competition.

“Paña and I spent a long time playing for UST, so it was a hard fight since we know each other’s game,” Ortalla said in Filipino.

THE UST Lady Jins broke a three-game losing streak at the expense of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 3-1, in their Smart-Philippine Taekwondo League match-up at the Ateneo de Manila University last May 20.

“We really need to earn points for the team,” said Lady Jins coach Dennis Simpao. “And this time, our players knew that our team had a big advantage against our opponent.”

The Lady Jins had a rough start when Marynel Niagno succumbed to the vicious attacks of Letran’s Vianca Cardona, whose powerful turning long kick punctuated their 60-67kg division bout at 3-6.

NEW SEASON, new coaches.

Fresh from UST’s 38th UAAP general championship last season, four teams have gone a coaching revamp of sorts, following the departure of their chief tacticians for a variety of reasons.

The tennis squad lost head coach Karl Santamaria reportedly to the National University, which is expected to parade a vastly improved line-up in several disciplines in the UAAP this year. His contract with UST had expired.

ANOTHER Tiger has opted to become a Bulldog.

Former UST rookie Kim Saraza has announced his decision to join the newly created tennis squad of the National University Bulldogs in the upcoming UAAP season. He admitted that he was following the lead of his mentor, ertswhile UST coach Karl Santamaria, who had apparenpart lured by NU’s highly aggressive sports recruitment strategy.

“They will give me a good training support because I want to improve my standing in the national men’s ranking,” said Saraza, who played a vital role in UST’s championship win over De La Salle University last season.

THE GROWLING Tigers succumbed to a 72-85 beating against NCAA defending champs San Beda Red Lions in their Filoil Flying V Pre-season Premiere Cup collision at the San Juan Arena last June 4.

San Beda relied on balanced scoring from its premiere players to outmuscle the dazed Tigers, who missed head coach Pido Jarencio due to leg pains.

The backcourt tandem of Jeric Fortuna and Jeric Teng combined for 41 points for UST, but were still no match to the total team effort of the Red Lions, which kept distance since the opening tip.

Wingman Garvo Lanete and Cameroonian big man Ola Adeogun had 12 points apiece to lead the charge for the Red Lions, who now has a 5-2 win-loss record. UST fell to 3-4 in Group A of the tourney.

THE WHIRLWIND that was school year 2010-2011 was indeed imbued with unending grace.

The first half of the University’s Quadricentennial year, which saw a grand week-long celebration, has been filled with many ups—and downs—that prove to be part of the colorful 400-year history of the “oldest institution of higher learning in the Far East.”

Celebrations began as early as December 2009, with the annual Paskuhan that marked the 400-day countdown to UST’s 400th year, gathered a record crowd of 50, 000 people—Thomasians and non-Thomasians alike.

Showcases

THE TIGER Paddlers scored an impressive 1-2 finish in the National Table Tennis Tournament last April 28 to 30 at the LCC Mall Activity Center, Legazpi, Albay.

The UST-Philippine National Police (PNP) pair of former UST team captain Michael Paña and former Tiger Paddlers’ head coach Richard Gonzales won the championship road and the P15,000 top prize after crushing the duo of Randy Lavendia and Lauro Crisostomo of the Metro Table Tennis Association (Metta), 2-1, in the final round of the men’s division.

WINNING the championship with a wide collection of individual awards requires hardwork, skill, and a fighting heart.

But a special brood of UST athletes graduating with a medal carved with the quadricentennial symbol of the Pontifical University must have possessed all these three elements plus two more—destiny and history.

Before taking their final bow, these Quadricentennial Thomasian athletes revisited the memories they shared with their alma mater that is celebrating its 400th anniversary.

RP Gilas mainstay and UAAP Season 72 MVP Dylan Ababou recalled days when he would enter the classroom after a hard-fought UAAP match, and he was surprised to know that the hardcore cheering of the Tigers’ signature chants did not end in Araneta.

THE TIGERS-reinforced Max Bond Sumos bowed down to the Cebuana Lhuiller Gems, 58-73, in a hotly-contested game in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Developmental League Foundation Cup at the Trinity University of Asia gym last May 12.

The loss snapped the Sumos’ three-game winning streak and left them with a 3-2 card for a share of the second spot with the FCA Cultivators. The Gems tied Cobra Energy Drink at first place with identical 4-1 win-loss cards.