Tag: 2007

IF SANTA Claus traded-in his red jumpsuit for a pair of tiger ears and moved to España, what Christmas requests would he have received from the UST sporting community?

In celebration of the holidays, the Varsitarian conducted a survey among several Thomasian athletes to get a general idea on their wishes this Yuletide season.

While simple gifts such as an iPod or the newest gaming console would suffice for many, some of the athlete’s wishes reflected their personality as well as the problems they encounter within the University.

“I wish that students will have access to use the elevators in the St. Raymund’s building,” said Commerce student Ralph Julius Mallari, who is also a member of the Yellow Jackets. The St. Raymund’s building houses the College of Commerce in the upper floors and the Faculty of Arts and Letters in the lower levels.

THE UST Male Tennisters finally broke their pre-season jinx at the expense of UAAP rival De La Salle University as they swept their way into the Inter-Collegiate title of the 2007 PCA Open tennis championship.

In a rematch between last year’s finalists, the España-based tennisters whipped La Salle, 3-0, to capture the men’s team diadem last November 11 at the PCA covered courts. In contrast, the Lady Tennisters bowed to their La Salle counterparts and settled for another bridesmaid finish.

Buoyed by their 10-5 shellacking of La Salle in the first set, the Season 69 champions pressed on the attack further as the hard-hitting tandem of Ryan Repunte and Kean Barraquias ruled the second set to virtually seal the deal for the Male Tennisters.

Rifling fiery volleys and well-placed shots, the Taft-based tennisters jumped out of the gates early on for a 2-5 advantage. But UST hardly stuttered, taking six straight games to take a comfortable 8-5 lead.

USED to polishing their stripes in local and international jousts, the black-gold-and-white army found little or no trouble in conquering the region’s sporting horizon as they lit up the Philippines’ medal chart once more in the 24th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held last December 6 to 16 at Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Twenty-nine Thomasian hopefuls, bannered by 2008 Beijing Olympics qualifier Tshomlee Go, world bowling champion Biboy Rivera, lady poolshark Rubilen Amit, and UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz, took part in 13 out of 44 events, where the country plucked 41 golds, 91 silvers, and 96 bronzes to cap the 11-nation biennial sports spectacle at sixth place in the overall medal standings.

The Thomasian athletes locked horns with the neighboring countries’ finest crop in athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, billiards, bowling, football, fencing, judo, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, and wushu.

REDEEMING itself after a disastrous semifinal exit, the UST High School girl’s volleyball team trounced the University of the East, 25-10, 20-25, 25-19, to clinch third place in the juniors division of the 6th Toribio Cup last December 9 at the UE gymnasium.

“Win or lose, after this campaign, we will do our best in the UAAP,” coach Francis Vicente said. “I would like to see the fruits of our labor at the end of the season.”

UST ripped the game wide-open early in the first set, taking an insurmountable 12-4 start against the seemingly intractable UE crew.

But the Recto-based squad was not to be denied, extending the match to a winner-take-all third set after surging ahead by six, 10-16 midway into the second set. Then it was an all-UST affair from there on.

NEVER in her wildest dreams did she dream of becoming the first female president of the then Trinity College of Quezon City.

But with her patience, determination, and innovativeness, Dr. Josephine Suerte-Sumaya became the dynamic spirit behind the elevation of the college to university status. Now, she is scaling greater heights as the inaugural president of the Trinity University of Asia.

Up the ladder

RESILIENCY is key.

Season 69 champions UST Golden Sox lit up the charts early on before thwarting Rizal Technological University’s (RTU) forays down the stretch to sweep the two-game finals series of the 2007 Philippine Amateur Baseball Association Youth Baseball tournament via a 6-4 Game 2 victory last June 9 at the Rizal Memorial Ballpark.

Members of the UST Yellow Jackets finished third place in a dodge ball competition sponsored by I-on energy drink last April at the University of the Philippines College of Human Kinetics gym.

The team was composed of Kristoffer Safno, Eduardo Villoria, Alvis Martin Parco, Gabriel Portubal, Daryl Glenn Porillo, Ace Ponef and Jerome Cuntapay. Purple Cobras and Tangkeros, both from the De La Salle University won first and second places, respectively.

IT WAS in 1995 when the UST Tigresses last tasted a back-to-back UAAP title.

But with all the chips at their grasp, the Tigresses are poised to rewrite that 12-year-old history when they defend their crown as tournament favorites come Season 70.

Losing only three reliables in the off-season, the Tigresses, who wrapped last season’s eliminations with a league-best 9-3 win-loss card, are assured of a relatively intact line-up.

FORMER Glowing Goldies ace slotman Ed Cordero has been named the new commissioner of the UAAP basketball tournament for Season 70.

The 47-year-old Cordero was unanimously chosen over fellow Glowing Goldie and former Growling Tigers coach Aric del Rosario, to head the league’s basketball operations in a UAAP board meeting last June 15.

PIRATES are not only hooked on buried treasures nowadays.

Instead of breeding talents via a juniors program, colleges nowadays prefer raiding a rival school’s athletic farmhouse to “seize” high school standouts come graduation day and fortify their crippled line-ups.

With this alarming trend, the board of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) has come up with a new rule that requires high school graduates transferring to another UAAP member school to serve a one-year residency before playing in the seniors division.