UST leads Season 85 UAAP general championship race

UST kept its grip on the spot in the UAAP Season 85 general championship title race after concluding the first semester with a total of 210 points.

After the conclusion of the first half of Season 85, the first pandemic-era season to be implemented with a full calendar, UST finished with seven golds, three silvers, and one bronze.

UST won gold medals in men’s table tennis, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s chess, women’s athletics, and men’s judo.

UST bagged the silver medals in women’s table tennis, men’s taekwondo, and women’s judo.

UST reaped the bronze medal in the women’s basketball.

The UAAP point system gives 15 points to an event’s champion team, 12 points to the second placer, and 10 points to the third placer.

The Tiger Paddlers gave UST its first gold medal after bagging their thirdstraight title on Nov. 26.

The UST beach volleyball teams finished with a golden double after the Tiger Sands bagged their fourth straight title and the Lady Spikers claimed their fifth straight title on Nov. 29.

The UST Lady Tracksters reclaimed their athletics crown on Dec. 8.

The UST Lady Jins dethroned the defending champions, National University Lady Bulldogs, and won the women’s taekwondo championship on Dec. 15.

The UST Male woodpushers successfully defended their title on Dec. 17.

UST’s final gold in the first semester sports was from the men’s judo team on Dec. 18.

The UST Lady Paddlers failed to take home back-to-back titles after surrendering the championship to the DLSU Lady Paddlers on Nov. 26.

UST’s men’s table tennis, poomsae, and women’s judo teams also settled for silver medals.

The Growling Tigresses settled for third place after bowing down to the De La Salle Lady Archers in their do-or-die match on Dec. 4.

Trailing UST in the general championship race are De La Salle University in second place with 174 points and University of the Philippines in third place with 173 points.

NICOLE ANNE D.G. BUGAUISAN

University Cheering Squad.

NU’s Cheerobics-themed routine amassed 723 points, despite a competition-high 14 deductions.

FEU accumulated 719 points with its Francis Magalona-themed performance.

The UE Pep Squad improved to fourth place with a Pinoy-Popthemed routine, while last year’s second-placer Adamson University Pep Squad fell to fifth place with a Jennifer Lopez-themed routine. UE and Adamson scored 606.5 points and 595 points, respectively.

The Black Eyed Peas-inspired UP Pep Squad (575.5 points), the Janet Jackson-themed DLSU Animo Squad (528.5 points), and the Black Panther-themed Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion (502.5 points) placed sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

The concluded Season 85 cheerdance competition featured a pre-pandemic format with 15 to 25 cheerdancers doing a six-minute routine as well as allowing two snares and two bass drums per school.

► The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe performs a Lady Gaga-themed routine in the UAAP Season 85 cheerdance competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sat-