THREE months after opening UAAP Season 88 as the host school, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is leading the general championship race in both the seniors and juniors divisions following the first semester of sports.
In the seniors division, UST racked up 161 points, thanks to five championships, two silver medals, and one bronze across 16 sporting events.
The University, which has claimed the last eight seniors general championships, held a 23-point advantage over the Ateneo Blue Eagles, whose teams scored 138 points with a medal haul of three golds, two silvers, and three bronzes.
De La Salle University (DLSU) ranked third after the first semester with 120 points, earning one gold, three silvers, and three bronzes.
During the first semester, the Male Woodpushers secured UST’s first gold of the season. Their female counterparts, however, fell off the podium to finish fourth, improving from two consecutive sixth-place finishes.
The Tiger Shuttlers placed fifth in the men’s badminton tournament after losing to the DLSU Green Archers in a playoff match. The Lady Shuttlers finished fourth after falling to the eventual champions, the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
In the athletics tournament, the Female Tracksters clinched their second consecutive silver medal finish, tallying 242 points from four golds, three silvers, and three bronzes, while the Tiger Tracksters placed fourth with a 5-3-2 medal haul.
The Male Tigersharks ended their six-year podium drought by finishing the season with a bronze, earning a total of 224 points from one gold, five silvers, and five bronzes. The Female Tigersharks, whose last podium finish came in Season 86, wrapped up their campaign with a 2-4-5 medal haul for a total of 204 points, placing fourth.
The Tiger Paddlers secured their sixth straight crown after defeating the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Their female counterparts failed to defend their title and settled for silver this season.
The Tiger Sands claimed a golden double in men’s and women’s beach volleyball, with the men’s team capturing its seventh straight championship and the women’s team recapturing the title against NU.
Not included in the general championship tally is the cheerdance competition, where the Salinggawi Dance Troupe finished fifth.
The Growling Tigresses defeated the NU Lady Bulldogs in the women’s basketball finals to close the semester with a title. Meanwhile, the Growling Tigers finished in fourth place.
Outside the top three in the seniors’ general championship race, FEU recorded 117 points in fourth place, NU earned 115 points in fifth, and UP followed closely with 114 points. Adamson accumulated 56 points, while UE rounded out the collegiate rankings with 20 points.
In the juniors division, where UST has won seven consecutive general championships, the Tigers claimed seven golds, one silver, and one bronze to total 143 points — 54 points ahead of second-place Adamson, which earned 89 points. De La Salle Zobel followed with 73 points, earning one silver and one bronze.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles tallied 65 points for fourth place, with NU Nazareth School close behind at 64 points. UE scored 60 points, FEU-Diliman had 56 points, and UP Integrated School finished last with 36 points at the end of the first semester.
The Junior Tigersharks, the Junior Woodpushers, and the Junior Tiger Paddlers claimed golden doubles in swimming, chess, and table tennis, respectively.
The Junior Tiger Tracksters defended their title, winning their second straight gold in high school athletics, while the Junior Female Tracksters settled for silver.
In the junior high school basketball tournament, the UST Tiger Cubs finished third after losing to FEU-D in the stepladder semifinals.
The Junior Golden Spikers were dethroned by the NUNS Bullpups in the boys’ volleyball semifinals and finished fourth. Their female counterparts also fell to NUNS, finishing fourth.
The second semester of the season will include the collegiate volleyball tournament, 3×3 basketball, tennis, baseball, softball, fencing, taekwondo (kyurogi), and judo. In the juniors division, the league will stage senior high school basketball, launch boys’ tennis, and reintroduce high school baseball.
UST is the most successful school in the UAAP, with 47 general championships in the college division and 23 in the juniors division. with reports from The Varsitarian Sports Team
