The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe broke out of its five-year slump after clinching third place in the UAAP Season 85 Cheerdance Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
Performing a Lady Gaga-inspired routine, Salinggawi accumulated a total of 640 points to secure the finish.
“That run that they had earlier was really their best run. With no sugarcoating, it’s really their best run throughout the entire journey. It wasn’t a technically perfect run but it was their closest-to-perfect run,” UST head coach Mark Chaiwalla told the Varsitarian.
Salinggawi remained the third-best team in the dance category after garnering 348 points. It also placed third in the tosses, tumbling and stunts categories with 64.5 points, 82.5 points and 75 points, respectively.
The UST dance troupe ranked fifth in the pyramid category with 74 points.
The National University Pep Squad reclaimed the cheerdance title after overtaking the Far Eastern University Cheering Squad.
NU’s Cheerobics-themed routine amassed 723 points, despite a competition-high 14 deductions.
FEU accumulated 719 points with its Francis Magalona-themed performance.
The UE Pep Squad improved to fourth place with a Pinoy-Pop-themed routine, while last year’s second-placer Adamson University Pep Squad fell to fifth place with a Jennifer Lopez-themed routine. UE and Adamson scored 606.5 points and 595 points, respectively.
The Black Eyed Peas-inspired UP Pep Squad (575.5 points), the Janet Jackson-themed DLSU Animo Squad (528.5 points), and the Black Panther-themed Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion (502.5 points) placed sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
The concluded Season 85 cheerdance competition featured a pre-pandemic format with 15 to 25 cheerdancers doing a six-minute routine as well as allowing two snares and two bass drums per school.
