UST concluded another season of collegiate sports domination as award-winning Thomasian student-athletes ushered the University towards another successful UAAP general championship campaign.
The table-smashing tandem of Paddlers Jimboy Baring and Princess Paña led UST’s pack of UAAP Most Valuable Player award recipients. Jimboy, brother of Season 67 MVP and RP team member Harold, made his final year more thrilling by ushering the Tiger Paddlers to a 14-game sweep of the elimination round toward an unprecedented fourth consecutive table tennis title in the league.
Judoka Camille Hipolito’s MVP-worthy performance factored greatly in the Lady Judokas’ title-reclamation campaign. A seasoned fighter, Hipolito, as coach Jojo Arce described, made her opponents weep in the +78 division.
Thomasian lady jin Esther Marie Singson bucked allegations of drug use before the Southeast Asian Games and captured back-to-back MVP plums. The veteran fighter also landed a silver in the bantamweight division. Meanwhile, Tiger jin Ernesto Mendoza III also delivered an MVP performance.
In chess, the Woodpushers conquered their respective boards. Rookie John Vincent Paragua dominated board six, while Arnold Dableo, younger brother of Lady Woodpushers’ coach and international master Ronald, led board three throughout the season. Lady chessers Danielle Day Estrada and Genelline de Ramos also hauled golds in boards five and six.
Badminton MVP Alfredo Mailon and Rookie of the Year (ROY) Paolo Dawal boosted the USt Shuttlecockers title-retention bid against arch-rival Far Eastern University. Mailon triumphed in the deciding third singles match to lead the Noli Cajefe-mentored squad to its first back-to-back title.
Female Tigershark Josephine Pilapil claimed the ROY distinction, after capturing six of UST’s eight golds. The Palawan native ruled the UAAP pool in the 100-m and 200-m freestyle, 50-m, 100-m, and 200-m breast stroke, and 50-m individual medley (IM).
Lady Booter Mary Ignacio took home the ROY distinction, scoring UST’s lone goal in the football finals against the powerhouse La Salle squad.
In baseball, Julius Gerona, Erwin Manuel, and Alden Lozada received the distinction for most homeruns. Israel Ona, meanwhile, had the most runs and ace pitcher Jonjon Robles was adjudged the tournament’s best pitcher.
These “diamonds in the rough” shone as UST concluded another season of collegiate sports domination.
Coaching milestones
Taekwondo head coach Dindo Simpao and table tennis coach Henberd Ortalla joined the UST roster of “four-peat” coaches this year. Simpao, a SEA Games silver medalist, was again hailed coach of the year by the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA).
Football coach Jade Bejemino mentored the Lady Booters to their first finals stint since he joined the team in 2001.
Lady Woodpushers’ coach and international master Ronald Dableo, on the other hand, steered the chessers to their first title since the inception of the women’s division in 2000.
SEA Games medalists
Several Thomasian athletes donned the national colors in the SEA Games last November.
Singson, Tshomlee Go, Alexander Briones, and UST alumnus Donald Geisler ushered the RP Taekwondo team to the sport’s over-all title. Singson and Go demolished their opponents in the bantamweight divisions, while Geisler triumphed in the lightweight class. Briones, meanwhile, captured his second consecutive welterweight division silver in the biennial multi-sports meet.
Singson and Briones were also part of the RP team to the Asian Taekwondo Championships in South Korea and copped a bronze medal each.
In billiards, debuting UST alumna Rubilen Amit scored twin victories in the women’s 8-ball and 9-ball events.
Fencer Gian Carlo Nocom landed a bronze in the individual sabre event and was also part of the sabre team that won the silver.
UST’s prime lady spiker Mary Jean Balse was part of the bronze medalist women’s volleyball team.
Other Thomasian national team members are: international master Dableo, Shercily and Shercila Cua (chess), Joan Locsin and Emili Tayag (softball), Catherine Kong and Harlene Orendain (fencing), Chrisma Capistrano, Harold Baring, and assistant coach Julius Esposo (table tennis), Josephine Luto (football), and Dennis Lloyd Catipon and Jennifer Ong (judo).
Other tourneys
In the absence of the team’s veterans, Growling Tigers rookie center Jervy Cruz led the UST dribblers to the Philippine Regional Inter-school Athletic Association (PRISAA) basketball title last February. The PRISAA MVP, who was set to suit up for the Tigers in UAAP Season 68 but was sidelined due to academic deficiencies, showed immense potential in the week-long regional meet.
Tankers Apryl Herrera and Kristian Libat were hailed Most Outstanding Swimmers, capturing the bulk of the Manila swimming team’s 15-gold harvest in the Manila Youth Games last October. Herrera, a sophomore Engineering student, contributed five golds, topping the 100-m, 200-m, 400-m and 800-m freestyle, and 100-m backstroke events. Libat, meanwhile, had four golds, winning the 400-m and 1500-m freestyle, 400-m IM, and 100-m butterfly events. The two were also part of the winning UST relay teams that accounted for three golds.
Fierce Lady Trackster Liza Yambao set the track ablaze in the Milo Marathon for the second year.
Judokas Hipolito and Mary Jane Jaylo represented the country in the Jikji Cup International Judo tournament in Korea last June and brought home a bronze apiece. Karla Tricia V. Magno
