“WHAT won the general championship for us was not skill but heart.”
It was how athletic moderator Felix Michael Silbor described the University’s championship run in UAAP season 66.
This year, UST’s campaign for a 32nd UAAP title is faced with tough opposition from perennial title contenders University of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle University (DLSU). Both schools were tied at second place last season registering 258 points, while UST garnered 284 points.
The Tigers scored only six title events from three sport disciplines: Judo, Table Tennis, and Tae Kwon Do—but managed to stay in contention because not a single second round sport placed lower than fourth.
Silbor said UST depended on the second semester events last year in order to pull away from the pack and bag the championship. This year, he said that though “all schools are right behind our heels,” he has high confidence that teams participating in the first phase will step up their game to make a better impression.
Table Tennis
Coach Henberd Ortalla and his wards are deadset on claiming the top gem in both men’s and women’s events.
The Male Paddlers will rely on the heroics of team captain Harold Baring and Rodonio Celedonia for a third straight championship. Comebacking Allyn Albay and veteran Glenn Rodriguez will provide support for the Paddlers’ title-retention bid.
According to Ortalla, because of an intact and experienced eight-man lineup, UST is assured of another strong finish this season from the paddlers.
“We are 90 per cent sure of gaining the championship this year,” Ortalla said of the Male Paddlers’ chances.
On the other hand, Jamie Yanga and Rhoda Casinyo of the Lady Paddlers will lead the squad in their bid for a fourth straight UAAP title.
Both Tigers squads will face tough competition in DLSU. The Taft-based school recently acquired the services of mercenary NCAA veterans from Colegio de San Juan de Letran and National team members, making them a solid threat.
The Table Tennis wars will roll in the first week of September.
Swimming
“We’re such a young team,” head coach Cyrus Alcantara said. But despite the age factor, he is optimistic they would not finish lower than third this season.
Alcantara and his wards are hoping to capture the championship this year after being bitterly robbed last time out. The female Tiger sharks played bridesmaids to the DLSU swimmers, while their male counterparts finished third.
The 20-man roster of the Tiger Sharks will count on the heroics of tested veteran Louie Francis Marquez, while good debuts from rookies Max Alden Berces, Geeno Galac, Edwardson Garcia, Carlo Lubag, Alan Manialung, Ivan Gerald Panganiban and Ramon Santos are expected.
The female Tiger Sharks, sporting an 18-man lineup, hopes for a good showing from new recruits Regina Amago, Meytha Belo, Macy Domingo, Karla Francisco, Apryl Pearl Herrera, Sahara Jantulla, Gem Nebres, and Jackie Lou Villagracia. Lovelyn Tuatiz is expected to rise to the occasion once more and lead her team to the title this season.
Alcantara expects tough competition from the Maroons, while the Female Tiger Sharks would try to outlast their rivals from DLSU.
Chess
Like their head coach Ronald Dableo, who is working on his game to achieve a Grand Master norm, the Female Woodpushers are dead serious to have a better showing.
Dableo’s wards finished third runner-up behind the Ateneo de Manila University after the Katipunan-based University filed an illegibility protest on ace player Joanne Toledo. Toledo reportedly enrolled herself in a Baguio college last year and was pulled into a residency problem, which eventually saw UST two points behind Ateneo.
But with an intact line up and Toledo pushing pawns anew this season, the Female Wood pushers aim to pick up on their standing this year.
Debuting this season, head coach and National Master Winston Silva hopes his team can pull off victories to improve on their third-place showing in UAAP Season 66 and finally capture the elusive crown that has evaded them for four seasons.
After a three-year championship streak of the Male Wood pushers from 1996-1999, UST’s streak was stalled by DLSU in 2000.
NM and team captain Bob Jones Luagon is in his final playing year and will vacate the board one post next season. Silva is hoping rookies Ramon Manonood and NCAA chess champ Vic Neil Villanueva would perform impressively as the team faces the clock in August. Arnold Dableo, Joseph Cabahug, and Rhynan Arse complete the strong lineup of the male wood pushers.
“We’re a strong team on paper and we are really zeroing on the championship,” Silva said.
He is also optimistic that with a consistent mental and physical conditioning, his team would not finish lower than third and rivals ADMU and DLSU would be forced to a tight competition.
Basketball
Still reeling from the loss of six seasoned veterans, the Tigers led by team captain Christian Luanzon are slowly but surely coming into form in the UAAP.
Although dwarfed by their opponents due to the absence of a legitimate center, the UST Growling Tigers have ironically showed great improvement in guarding the shaded lane.
Coach Reonel “Nel” Parado, who hoped his team would reach the Final Four, has more problems to deal with as most of the teams have stepped up their game this year.
On the other hand, the Growling Tigresses are working on their passing skills to have a better chance at the offensive end.
Now with at least two players, four-year veteran Juvy Salazar and rookie Joy Hagedorn to man the paint, the Tigresses aim to dominate the board. Also, with a good backcourt support, they hope to reduce their unforced turnovers to improve their chances of winning tight games.
With four new additions this year, the Tigresses, with head coach Peque Tan and team captain Aileen Arcigal, hope to have a consistent 40 minutes on the floor.
Volleyball
The Seniors Volleyball squads are eyeing an improved finish, if not a finals appearance in both categories.
The domi-nating perfor-mance displayed by the Lady Spikers in the recently concluded Shakey’s V-League easily sets the team apart from the pack.
Despite the departure of Anna Fulo and Joyce Pano, both keyplayers in Coach Augusto Santamaria’s lineup, the team’s improved performance plus the presence of a rookie sensation Mary Jean Balse make the team a steady contender for the Volleyball crown.
Their male counterparts, although haunted by their worst finish in decades last season, are optimistic about their chances in UAAP season 67. After having a depleted lineup last year, coach Emil Lontoc has filled up all positions this time around. Solid playmaker Christian Fernandez is expected to lead. Though his veterans will still hold the fortress for the team, the rookies have shown potential in off-season tournaments.
