Tag: 2011

NEW SEASON, new coaches.

Fresh from UST’s 38th UAAP general championship last season, four teams have gone a coaching revamp of sorts, following the departure of their chief tacticians for a variety of reasons.

The tennis squad lost head coach Karl Santamaria reportedly to the National University, which is expected to parade a vastly improved line-up in several disciplines in the UAAP this year. His contract with UST had expired.

THE NATIONAL Capital Region Team A paraded two former Golden Booters, who had been tapped to join the Philippine Azkals Football Team.

But what was supposed to be a mismatch in favor of NCR turned into a massacre at the hands of the Iloilo squad, who gave Team A a 0-7 beating in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Suzuki Under-23 National Cup last May 10 at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) pitch.

The loss knocked the pre-tournament favorites out of title contention, together with Laguna which settled for a draw against Davao (2-2) in the quarterfinals.

THOMASIAN athletes punctuated the season with a collection of individual awards on top of UST’s general championship in the UAAP.

Taekwondo’s Camille Manalo was named the overall Athlete of the Year during closing ceremonies at the Big Dome last March 12. She duplicated the feat by fellow Tiger Jin Marlon Avenido who won the award last year.

Having completed her final playing year, Manalo was also named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in women’s taekwondo after leading the Tigresses to their ninth title this season.

“I’m so proud and amazed that I was able to get the prestigious award. We persevered to get the (championship) title,” she said in Filipino.

PAYING tribute to its alma mater’s quadricentennial, the Salinggawi Dance Troupe took center stage for its 43rd annual dance concert titled “Eterno: The Legacy Continues” at the Medicine Auditorium last March 11.

“The annual concert was mainly dedicated to UST’s 400th year anniversary and not really for us,” said Jerome San Jose, Salinggawi’s external public relations officer.

In Eterno, a Spanish word for eternity, the group exhibited popular dances in history dating back from the pre-Spanish period.

DESPITE exchanging signature stunts and lifts for a much easier popping and locking, the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe still failed to groove towards the top in the first ever UAAP Streetdance Competition held simultaneously with this year’s UAAP closing ceremony last March 12 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The dance troupe garnered an overall score of 76.33 percent, placing fifth in the rankings. The La Salle Dance Company – Street was declared the champion, posting a 91 percent score, while the University of the Philippines Streetdance Club and Company of Ateneo Dancers (CAD) grabbed the second and third place with average scores of 88.25 percent and 86.67 percent respectively.

REIGNING champion UST Golden Sox demolished the twin towers of UAAP baseball in their last two games to sweep the tournament at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Park.

UST crushed last year’s runner-up National University (NU), 6-5, last January 27 after escaping past defending “three-peat” champions Adamson University, 4-3, last January 20 to finally stop its six-year championship dry spell.

“We worked hard and this is the result. I told them to think as if it were just an ordinary game so that they won’t get pressured,” coach Jeffrey Santiago said. “I also told them not to be overconfident.”

The Golden Sox took over the game with a series of runs after the fourth inning. They were then trailing NU, 0-2.

THE UST WOODPUSHERS concluded their conquest in the UAAP with a pair of runner-up finishes in the men’s and women’s divisions at the Far Eastern University (FEU) East-Asia College Building last February 20.

The Male Woodpushers totaled 36.5 points, while the Lady Woodpushers finished with 37.5 markers in 14 rounds of the tournament, an improvement from last season’s lowly 19-point output.

UST coach and International Master Ronald Dableo said the teams’ rigorous practice, discipline, and talent carried them up to a better performance this season.

“They had been training well. And their talents really paid off,” he said.

THE FEMALE Tracksters again settled for a runner-up finish next to Far Eastern University, which seized its eight straight title in the UAAP meet.

The women’s team landed in the same spot for the sixth consecutive season after a 6-7-9 gold-silver-bronze medal output during the Season 73 track and field competition from January 26 to 31 at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig.

The Male Tracksters improved on their fourth-place finish last season by placing third this year with three gold medals, four silver, and three bronze.
The Female Tracksters scored a total of 252 points behind FEU’s 330. The University of the East (UE) was third with 102 points.

ONE TEAM celebrated its triumph while the other languished in defeat.

The UST Male Tennisters seized back-to-back titles via a 3-2 classic against rival De La Salle University in Game 2 of their best-of-three championship series. But their female counterparts finished the season at the opposite end, landing at the bottom of the standings.

The championship was a fitting send-off for coach Karl Santamaria, who was set to end his stint with UST. After the final UAAP game on February 19, he was scheduled to fly to Sri Lanka for the World Junior Championships.

“It had to be the best (because) I have to tell you that this is my last (year with UST),” said a tearful Santamaria, who led the Male Tennisters to seven titles in the last 10 years.

THE UST Lady Booters waltzed their way to a do-or-die game but stumbled in the end against the Far Eastern University (FEU), 1-0, in Game 3 of the UAAP women’s football finals at the Ateneo de Manila University Erenchun Field last March 6.>

Small but terrible Frea Fado played big for FEU as she struck the winning goal in the 16th minute from a Sharmaigne Saluria assist, scraping past keeper Zipporah Luna. UST played without Nikki Regalado, while FEU missed the services of Jayneth Mercado, who were both ejected from the match in Game 2.>

“It was not really meant for us,” said coach Rozano Estrabon, who led UST to its first-ever championship in 2009 during his coaching debut for the women’s squad.>