Updated- April 1- THEY are the wings that propelled UST to the top spot for the 12th consecutive year, breaking their previous “ten-peat” back in 2008.
Bannering the España flagship are two Athletes of the Year, 12 Most Valuable Players (MVP), and six Rookies of the Year (ROY) that led the other greats who received individual honors in their respective sports events.
Two Thomasians went home with the most prestigious UAAP individual awards as Marlon Avenido was feted Athlete of the Year in the seniors’ division for leading the Tiger Jins to a back-to-back title slam.
He also clinched the bullion in the Southeast Asian Taekwondo Championships and pocketed a twin-silver finish in the Southeast Asian Games in Laos and Asian Martial Arts Games in Thailand last year.
Gian Berino’s ferocious performance in the pool wars earned him the Athlete of the Year plum in the juniors’ division despite the team’s bridesmaid finish this year.
Carving their names alongside UST’s towering stature in the UAAP history are MVPs Avenido (men’s taekwondo), Paulo Jay Dawal (men’s badminton), Aiza de la Torre (softball), Dylan Ababou (men’s basketball), Jayson Ramos (men’s beach volleyball), Miguel Narvaez and Raymond Villarete (men’s lawn tennis), Serenata Saluan (women’s track and field) and Alyssa Valdez (girls’ indoor volleyball), Patrick Ma. Unso (juniors’ track and field), Berino (boys’ swimming), and Gerry del Rosario (juniors’ taekwondo).
Dawal propelled the Male Shuttlers to the championship after a 3-2 thriller against De La Salle University to put an icing in UST’s victory cake.
De la Torre pitched in the best throws to lead the Softbelles toward their first ever championship in the UAAP. She is also awarded this season’s Best Pitcher.
Carrying the Growling Tigers to the Final Four this year, Ababou will hang his UAAP jersey with an MVP medal. Ababou was also part of the Mythical Five.
The Tiger Spikers’ duo of Ramos and Henry Pecaña dominated the sand courts anew, with Ramos bringing home the MVP plum.
Co-MVPs Narvaez and Villarete fueled the Male Tennisters’ title retaliation bid against perennial contenders De La Salle and to carry the team to the championship via a tournament sweep.
Saluan was hailed MVP and ROY in her maiden year as a Female Trackster, accounting for UST’s seven out of ten gold medals, and registering new UAAP meet records in the 5,000 meter-run, 10,000 meter-run and 4×400 meter relay.
Other athletes named best rookies of the season were Maruja Banaticla (women’s beach volleyball), Alexis Albor (men’s judo) and Jeric Teng (men’s basketball), Henezy Aragon (women’s table tennis) and Christian de Juan (men’s football).
In the juniors’ play, MVPs Unso, Valdez, Berino and Del Rosario earned a ticket to the spotlight for their performances in their respective battlefield.
Also claiming individual awards were David Basa (best defender, men’s football), Siblings Rey Karl and Rhea Dimaculangan (best servers, volleyball), Arlene Gavile (best goalkeeper, women’s football) Marianne Narciso (best striker, women’s football), Lani Sarmiento (best hitter, softball), Ana Paghubasan (homerun queen). Antonio Ramon H. Royandoyan
