Tag: No. 5

THERE IS no place like home.

Despite offers from other universities, Skyler Claveria, a UAAP juniors swimming standout, decided to stay in UST and join the senior’s team.

“I have already established a family here [in UST]. Besides, the course I want to take up is offered UST which is Travel Management,” Claveria told the Varsitarian.

Claveria said that he opted to remain a Thomasian because of the quality of education the University is known for and affirmed that it was his personal decision to stay.

During the buildup for Season 77, Claveria explained that he did not expect to perform well this year after suffering an accident two months before the competition.

THE UST Growling Tigers will have to wait for UAAP Season 78 for a shot at redemption after being snubbed in the Luzon-Metro Manila leg of the 2014 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) slated on Nov. 7 to 10 in Tanauan, Batangas.

For the first time since 2010, UST will miss the annual national men’s basketball championships after organizers changed the format for inviting participants.

In the past, the PCCL invited the top six schools from the men’s basketball tournaments of UAAP and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) with the fifth and sixth teams serving as wildcards. UST was supposed to join after finishing sixth in UAAP Season 77 until the format was changed, allowing only the Final Four teams to compete.

SETTLED WITH your “fast and reliable” internet plan lately? Think again.

Our country ranked 12th among Asia’s 48 countries based on its active social media penetration (current active social media accounts in online websites) studied by Statistica last month. But is average internet speed of 3.6 megabytes per second (Mbps) really the “fastest” our internet service providers could offer us?

ASEAN’s slowest

Last April, ASEAN DNA released their analyzed internet speed data in a global scale and further broken it down to the ASEAN level.

18 September 2013, 11:00 p.m. - THE UST Growling Tigers booked the last UAAP Final Four ticket by ousting the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles, 82-74, in their do-or-die game at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.

It was sweet revenge for the Tigers, who were swept by Ateneo in last season's finals and watched as the Blue Eagles claimed their fifth straight men's basketball title.

The Tigers could get another shot at the championship, but they will have to go past the top-seeded National University Bulldogs, who will enjoy a twice-to-beat bonus in their semifinal encounter on Sunday.

THE UST Lady Spiker’s title-retention bid suffered a major blow, while the second-seeded Tiger Spikers now await their Final Four matchup after separate UAAP beach volleyball encounters at the University of the East-Caloocan sand court.

In a rematch of last year’s finals, the Lady Spikers’ duo of Maruja Banaticla and Pamela Lastimosa braved the heavy rains, but dropped Game 1 against Adamson University, 22-20, 19-21, 14-16 last Sept. 15.

The Lady Spikers need to win the next two games to capture a third-straight championship.

“[The rain] was a huge factor,” coach Henry Pecaña said. “[Banaticla and Lastimosa] continued to play [for the school] since they were already wet.”

THE UST Male Shuttlers firmed up their hold of the third spot, while the Female Shuttlers need to win their last game to keep their campaign alive in the UAAP badminton tournament at the Jumpsmash Badminton Court in Quezon City.

The UST Male Shuttlers, who continued to struggle with a depleted lineup following the departure of veteran Salvador Kapunan, entered their sixth game with renewed ferocity and blasted Adamson University, 4-1, last Sept. 15.

The Female Shuttlers survived the Adamson Lady Falcons, 3-2, and improved to a 3-3 win-loss slate at fifth spot.

THE LEGAL counsel of the University of Santo Tomas has defended the school's decision not to "release" its former athletes who opted to play for another school in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

Nilo Divina, who is also dean of the Faculty of Civil Law, said the move was consistent with the league's two-year residency rule, which requires a "release form" before an "incoming collegiate athlete" could wear the uniform of a rival varsity squad.

“The only reason why UST did not issue the release document is not because we’re bitter, but because we are governed by the rules of UAAP," he said.

AFTER previously representing the country, Growling Tiger Kevin Ferrer is being eyed to don the national colors once more.

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes has expressed interest in inviting Ferrer, with several other top UAAP cagers, to join the national team’s cadet pool.

“Terrence [Romeo], Kiefer [Ravena], RayRay [Parks], AVO (Arnold Van Opstal), [Chris]Newsome, [Raymond] Almazan, Ferrer will surely be invited to join Gilas Cadets. Gusto kaya nila o papayagan ba sila?” he said in his Twitter account.

The 6-foot-four stalwart is looking forward to the opportunity and said he would gladly accept the invitation if it pushes through.

NOTHING could hold them back, not a sore muscle or a broken bone.

When Pido Jarencio was still a rookie coach seven years ago, his ailing Growling Tigers fought through food poisoning, dengue and a depleted lineup to win the title. This year, it’s all too familiar—an injury-laden squad trying to stay alive in the Final Four race.

Jojo Duncil, the 2006 Finals MVP, recalled how tough it was for them back then.

“It was really hard for us because we lacked players, so the others had to step up and double their efforts,” he said.

The struggles were also fresh in the mind of Dylan Ababou.

ONE OF the best Thomasian pitchers is back on the Golden Sox’ mound as a mentor.

Having played under coach Jeff Santiago, two-time UAAP MVP and Season 68 Best Pitcher Jonjon Robles is suiting up as the new assistant coach of the UST baseball team.

The 26-year-old Robles once brought his expertise to greater heights when he played for the national team in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Taiwan last year. After his stint,Robles returned to his alma mater to impart his experience and knowledge.

“I’m happy because I’m back where I came from. I could relay to the players everything I learned here [in UST] and as a member of the national team,” Robles said.