UST dominates UAAP Season 86

University of Santo Tomas (UST) secured its eighth-straight collegiate and seventh-straight high school general championship as Season 86 came to a close late Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

It was another runaway victory for the Growling Tigers, who accumulated 332 points at the collegiate level and 257 points at the high school level.

The victory is also UST’s 47th overall general championship in the collegiate division and 23rd in the high school ranks.

“I’m happy, and I know the whole Thomasian community is also happy that we bagged this award for Season 86 — that we were crowned as general champions,” UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics director Fr. Rodel Cancancio, OP said.

“This is our 47th for college and our 23rd for high school out of the 26 times it was awarded. This is the culmination and the fruit of our hard work, sacrifices, and dedication of our coaches and student-athletes.”

In the collegiate division, UST won the championships in women’s basketball, men’s table tennis, women’s taekwondo, poomsae, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s tennis, men’s chess, and women’s 3x3 basketball.

The Tigers also topped the competition in boys’ and girls’ table tennis, girls’ beach volleyball, boys’ and girls’ swimming, boys’ judo, and girls’ athletics.

De La Salle University placed second in both the collegiate (269) and high school (154) divisions.

The University of the Philippines (UP) was third (258) in the collegiate division, while Adamson University took third (135) in the high school ranks.

Meanwhile, UP’s Quendy Fernandez and Adamson’s Hussein Lorana emerged as the individual Athletes of the Year, while Adamson’s Shaina Nitura and UST’s Kent Pastrana were the Athletes of the Year for team events.

Fernandez, an 18-year-old swimming prodigy from Puerto Princesa, won three golds in the women’s swimming event to win Most Valuable Player honors in her freshman year.

Meanwhile, Lorana, a 19-year-old from Baguio, won three golds in boys’ athletics.

Nitura led the Adamson Baby Falcons to their first girls’ volleyball championship, while Pastrana, a former Lady Archer, was instrumental in UST’s quest for the top.

Also honored were the athlete-scholars of the league.

Lucille Almonte (Adamson), Joaquin Casanova (Ateneo de Manila University), Jessel Lumapas (La Salle), Katrina Magbitang (Far Eastern University), Kent Altajeros (National University), Andrea Matias (University of the East), Susmita Ramos (UP), and Pierre Abellana (UST) were the honorees in the collegiate division, while Nitura (Adamson), Ivo Enot (Ateneo), Kieffer Alas (DLSZ), Ruelle Canino (FEU-D), Sara Dalagan (NUNS), Nina Canlas (UE), Olympia Ducanes (UPIS), and Estelliah Gillana (UST) represented the high school ranks.