Tag: 2007

UST LADY Woodpushers head coach and International Master (IM) Ronald Dableo was accused by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) of game-fixing last year’s Tanauan City Open and Malaysian Open.

NCFP executive director Samuel Estimo made the accusation last Jan. 11, saying that Dableo and IM Darwin Laylo of intentionally dropping their games against eventual winner IM Chito Garma. Dableo also purportedly dropped his match against Vietnamese Grand Master (GM) Dao Thien Hai, in the Malaysian Open, according to Estimo.

HAMPERED by a cold start, the UST Golden Booters fought their heart out and played the game of their lives to buck a scoreless first half and outsteady surprise finalist Far Eastern University (FEU), 4-2, and regain the UAAP men’s football crown via a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out last Feb. 18 at the Ateneo Erenchun Field.

Team captain Arman Esteben sent home the marginal goal for the Golden Booters by unleashing a razor-sharp floater that grazed through the rightmost portion of the net to finally end UST’s six-year title drought in the discipline.

INEXPERIENCE is not a factor, after all.

This the rookie-laden UST Tennis teams proved in convincing fashion as they finally ditched their perennial bridesmaid tag with a methodical sweep of the UAAP Tennis titles last Feb. 4 at the Rizal Racket Club in Pasig City.

Season 69 co-Rookies of the Year Ryan Repunte and James Cañete delivered the exclamation in the Male Tennisters’ resounding title surge as they outshone their singles rivals from the veteran-powered University of the Philippines (UP) en route to a title-clinching 3-0 team victory.

THOMASIAN BIBOY Rivera, 2006 Masters World Bowling Champion, led this year’s honorees of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards given out last Jan. 18 at the SM Mall of Asia Entertainment Hall.

Rivera, who bagged the Masters gold medal in Busan, South Korea last September, won the Athlete of the Year honor, alongside boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, world billiard champions Efren “Bata” Reyes and Ronnie Alcano, and 15th Asian Games gold medalists Antonio Gabica (billiards), Violito Payla (boxing) and Rene Catalan (wushu).

OCCUPYING the middle ground is not part of their game plan.

But if their 2-2 win-loss record at the end of the first round is any indication, the UST Golden Sox are far from hoisting the white flag in the on-going UAAP Baseball wars.

“Our team is slowly picking up (its) rhythm in each game aside from the fact that the players are learning how to reduce their errors on both offense and defense,” coach Jeffrey Santiago told the Varsitarian. “That is a good sign for us.”

INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) and Lady Woodpushers head coach Ronald Dableo will have the opportunity to earn his Grand Master (GM) title at the Asian Zonal Championships in Vietnam this month.

“I make sure to give my best in every game and for that, the GM title is possible,” Dableo told the Varsitarian.

The 27-year-old Dableo earned his slot in the Philippines’ seven-man roster at the Asian Zonal after finishing second with seven points in the 2nd Rep. Prospero Pichay Cup National Open and Chess Challenge (Pichay Cup) last Dec. 18-24.

DETERMINATION to defend their UAAP crown will be the main weapon of the talented yet inexperienced UST Shuttlecockers this UAAP season.

“The good news is, my players are up to the challenge no matter how hard it would be,” head coach Noli Cajefe told the Varsitarian. “I always remind them to really give their best and to fight it all out because we could not give up the crown that easy.”

EAGER to discard their perennial runner-up tag, the young UST Tennisters made their championship intentions clear as they swept the first round of the UAAP Tennis competition at the Rizal Racket Club in Pasig City.

With their talented slew of rookies easily fitting into the system, UST humbled veteran foes to remain unscathed at the end of the first round in both the men’s and women’s divisions.

DESPITE playing second-fiddle to the Far Eastern University (FEU) for the second year, UST still won its share of glory, setting new records in three UAAP track and field events.

A record broken by UST included a 68-year-old record in 1938, when the UAAP started, set by Thomasian athletic great Niño Ramirez.

AS EVERY Thomasian hopeful from a lean Philippine delegation bowed out of contention in the 15th Doha Asian Games, a strong-willed Tshomlee Go kicked his way against the current.

Go prevented a medal shutout for the highly-touted UST contingent as he raged through the finals of the taekwondo hostilities to bag the silver in the men’s 62 kg division last Dec. 9 at the Qatar Sports Complex.