CHANGE is the only thing permanent in the world, but the revolving UAAP general championship trophy is not going anywhere this year as UST won its eighth consecutive general championship, its 33rd out of the UAAP’s 68 years.
With 302 points in Season 68, UST trashed the opposition as the nearest contender, the University of the Philippines (UP), only garnered 242 points. The 60-point difference was a marked improvement from last season’s precarious seven-point lead of UST over De La Salle University (La Salle) was demoted to third this season with 236 points after the men’s basketball team was relegated to last place because of fielding ineligible players.
With the general championship in mind, UST played ferociously throughout the season, winning eight of the 26 UAAP titles and making eight bridesmaid finishes.
The perennial UAAP champions already had a comfortable 13-point lead after the first semester. The second semester competitors all sealed the deal with podium finishes save for the fencing team, which placed fourth.
Athletic moderator Felix Michael Silbor admitted that UST’s early lead was not a safety net, but a motivating factor for the teams to go even harder on opponents all the way to the crown.
“I thought other schools might catch up on us just as we did to them in previous years,” Silbor said. “But I am glad the lead worked to our advantage as it served as a morale booster for the other UST teams.
UST swept the men’s and women’s divisions of the table tennis and taekwondo tournaments. It also championed men’s badminton, women’s chess, women’s judo, and women’s swimming.
The Maroons dominated the men’s division of chess, judo, and swimming, while the Archers snagged the titles in women’s badminton, women’s football, women’s volleyball, and both divisions of tennis.
Counting championships
The UST Male Paddlers smashed their way to a fourth consecutive title via an elimination round sweep. The Lady Paddlers also won the title, dethroning the UP Paddlers.
Fresh from their successful SEA Games stint, Tshomlee Go and Alex Briones led the Tiger Jins to their fourth straight UAAP crown. The Lady Jins also succeeded, despite the drug-use controversy hounding team member and SEAG medalist Esther Marie Singson and the absence of team captain Kit de Leon.
The UST Shuttlecockers captured back-to-back championships with a rare tournament sweep. The Female Shuttlecockers, however, failed to duplicate their bridesmaid finish last season as they wound up at third.
It was another year of an equally impressive performance for the UST Tigersharks, diving for 11 golds, 22 silvers, and 11 bronze medals to win the title in the women’s division and the runner-up spot in the men’s division.
The UST judo teams exacted revenge on UP and Ateneo de Manila University for a 1-2 finish this year. The Lady Judokas pulled off the title easily with straight-set matches, while the rookie-laden Tiger Judokas shocked their veteran counterparts to land second.
The Lady Booters finished second to La Salle, while the Golden Booters managed to place third even without injured key striker Lordjay Legpitan and team skipper Armand Esteban.
The UST Lady Woodpushers had their first taste of the crown this season after a six- year drought in a come-from-behind win on to relegate defending champion UP, which placed third. The Male Woodpushers, meanwhile, had a slow start but managed to stage a late rally for third place.
After a hot start, the Tiger Spikers lost steam in the finals against FEU, while Coach August Santamaria’s Lady Spikers dwelled at fourth place with ace player Kate Co Yu Kang sidelined due to a knee injury.
From a dismal sixth place, bemedalled Liza Yambao and company leapt to second place, setting four new records on the track. On the distaff side, the undermanned Male Tracksters won nine golds to land second behind perennial Track and Field champion Far Eastern University.
The UST Male Tennisters yielded the title to La Salle, while the Lady Tennisters duplicated their runner-up finish last year.
The Golden Sox’s elimination-round sweep in 2004 was a tough feat to repeat, as UST bowed to UP in the best-of-three finals. Coach Sandy Barredo’s “softbelles” ended up at third.
Meanwhile, the UST basketball teams are yet to see better days, placing sixth place for the second straight season.
The way to glory
Silbor said UST’s championship campaign this season was a far cry from its previous campaigns. In recent years, UST’s winning margin had steadily dropped, the lowest being last year’s seven-point scare.
He admitted that he was on tenterhooks until UST won the championships in the taekwondo and women’s judo for a comfortable lead.
“The runaway victory was not expected despite La Salle’s early struggles,” Silbor said. “The (UST) teams, however, really played harder this year to propel us to the top. Every team gave their fair share for the over-all title.”
Winning the general championship has never been a walk in the park for UST. There have been unforeseen injuries and debacles. But as long as there are Thomasian athletes who find fulfillment in playing for their alma mater, ready to sacrifice a part of their lives for the love of sport, general championship titles may just keep pouring in for UST in the years to come. Llanesca T. Panti
