UST Tigers show way in UAAP overall race

MANILA, Philippines - University of Santo Tomas primed itself up for another romp in the general championship of UAAP Season 74, leading the race with 151 points after 14 events in seven sports completed in the first semester.

UST, which didn’t figure prominently in the centerpiece men’s basketball, won the title in five events – men’s and women’s judo, women’s beach volleyball and men’s table tennis and taekwondo – to seize control overall.

The España-based school, which has won a record 38 general championships, also finished second in men’s beach volleyball and swimming and wound up third in women’s basketball.

UST also built its impressive first-semester showing with fourth-place finishes in men’s basketball and taekwondo and women’s swimming. It finished fifth in women’s swimming and settled for fourth in women’s badminton.

La Salle is in second overall with 139 points built around a victory in men’s swimming and second-place finishes in men’s judo, women’s table tennis and men’s and women’s taekwondo. The Archers also wound up third in men’s and women’s badminton, women’s judo and swimming and men’s table tennis.

Ateneo is in third with 117 points, highlighted by the Blue Eagles fourth-straight men’s basketball crown and a victory in men’s badminton. Far Eastern University is ranked fourth with 111 points marked by victories in women’s basketball, men’s beach volleyball and women’s taekwondo.

Rounding out the order of finish after the first semester events were University of the Philippines in fifth place with 105 points, University of the East in sixth spot with 72 points, Adamson University in seventh with 56 and National University eighth with 34.

A championship finish in an event is worth 15 points, second place 12 points, fourth 10, fifth 8, sixth 4, seventh 2, eighth 1 and non-participation 0.

UST has teams in all 14 events, as well as Ateneo and De La Salle. Adamson does not participate in swimming and taekwondo, FEU does not have teams in judo and swimming, NU in judo, swimming and taekwondo and UE in women’s table tennis.

UP pulled off victories in women’s swimming and table tennis and had one runner-up finish in women’s, while UE dominated women’s badminton but fared no better than fourth–men’s beach volleyball, taekwondo and swimming–in the other events it took part in.

Adamson has not won any title in the first semester, but almost did with a runner-up performance in women’s basketball. It also finished third in men’s basketball and beach volleyball.

NU, which has embarked on a massive sports rebuilding program, was second in men’s badminton, its best-finish in the first semester.

Eight more sports are on the UAAP program for the second semester-baseball, softball, football, chess, tennis, fencing, athletics and volleyball.