THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) brought UAAP Season 88 to a close in grand style on Friday, May 15, hosting a red-carpet closing ceremony at the Quadricentennial Pavilion to recognize the league’s top athletes in a night marked by elegance and spectacle.
The event also marked the formal turnover of hosting duties to Far Eastern University (FEU) for UAAP Season 89, which unveiled the theme, “For Everyone, UAAP” — abbreviated as FEU.
“What UST did this year was amazing, spectacular. In terms of the opening and closing, it’s something we’ve never seen before. So we’ll try to live up to that,” UAAP Season 89 President Mark Molina said.
“We’ll hopefully, in our own way, do something that the UAAP and FEU community will be very proud of.”
Molina said FEU hopes to promote inclusivity and social awareness throughout Season 89.
“We want Season 89 to help promote inclusivity, inspire compassion, and encourage the community to become more socially aware and involved,” he said.
UST’s grand closing ceremony
Athletes and officials from all eight member-schools arrived in formal attire for the black-tie affair, a shift from the league’s usually modest closing rites and a fitting counterpart to the grand opening ceremony held in UST last year.
Major individual awards were handed out early in the program, including Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and citations for international participants. Audio-visual presentations preceded each school’s recognition segment, while school hymns were played after every delegation’s awarding.
UST’s Riri Perez was recognized as one of the Athletes of the Year for high school team sports, while Kent Pastrana and Zkeana Mekyla Valdez earned Athlete-Scholar of the Year honors for excelling in both academics and athletics.
The league also formally awarded the general championships, with host UST securing both the seniors’ and juniors’ division crowns.
“From the thunder of the arenas to the millions watching across streams, we didn’t just witness games; we witnessed heart, pride, and the unbreakable spirit of the UAAP,” UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. said.
“Every cheer, every hard-fought game brought our theme to life. This is more than just a slogan, it became our mantra. We saw strength in every athlete who pushed beyond limits, who rose after every fall, and who fought until the very end.”
The UAAP announced that Season 89 would officially open on Sept. 12, 2026.
The program featured performances from Thomasian acts, including the UST Symphony Orchestra, Sinag Ballroom Dance Company, theater artist Katrine Sunga, the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe and the UST Singers.
A finale featuring all UST-based groups performing the UAAP Season 88 theme song capped the show.
Season 88 carried the theme “Strength in Motion, Hope in Action,” marking the league’s return to large-scale, campus-based ceremonies.
