FOLLOWING back-to-back bronze-medal seasons, the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe dropped to fifth place in the UAAP Season 87 cheerdance competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, with its “Batang 90s” routine marking its lowest-ranking performance since 2013.
Salinggawi garnered a total score of 634.5 points, failing to crack the top three in any of the five scoring categories.
The last time UST fell out of the top four was in Season 76 when it placed seventh. Since 2014, Salinggawi has consistently secured either a podium spot or a fourth-place finish until this season.
UST recorded the fourth-best score in the dance category with 347 points, a drop from last season when Salinggawi topped the category en route to its second-straight bronze-medal finish.
Salinggawi also ranked fourth in tumbling and tosses, earning 69.5 and 77 points, respectively. It ended fifth in stunts with 74 points and in pyramids with 78 points.
In penalties, Salinggawi incurred 11 deductions, the fourth-fewest among all teams.
The NU Pep Squad reclaimed the UAAP cheerdance championship, amassing 713 points with an outer space-inspired routine. NU swept all special awards and secured its second title in the last three seasons.
NU is now tied with UST and the UP Pep Squad for the most UAAP cheerdance titles, with eight each.
The Adamson Pep Squad claimed silver with a karaoke-themed routine that earned 679.5 points. The FEU Cheering Squad claimed third place with a performance inspired by the Disney movie “Frozen,” scoring 650 points.
The UE Pep Squad finished fourth with 641 points, while UP took the sixth spot with 560 points.
The DLSU Animo Squad and the Ateneo Blue Eagles rounded out the standings with 525 and 490 points, respectively.
