Dark horse UE stuns UST for maiden UAAP Mobile Legends crown

MANILA, Philippines – University of the East's Zenith Esports shocked University of Santo Tomas' Teletigers, 2-0, in the grand finals of the UAAP’s Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) Esports event to make history as the first UAAP MLBB champions.

UST had been the tournament favorite, especially with an undefeated 3-0 run in the group stages, while UE barely survived with its one-win (against Adamson University), one-draw (against University of the Philippines) and one-loss record (against UST).

In the semifinals, the Red Warriors took down the top seed of Group A, Far Eastern University's Tamarawas Esports, to set up a rematch with UST.

"Very confident kami na kaya namin ang UST, especially nung group stages. Marami lang talaga kaming mga miscommunication na kinailangan namin ayusin. Hindi rin overconfident kasi alam namin kung gaano sila kagaling, alam namin yung capabilities nila. Nagfocus lang kami sa alam naming way kung pano manalo," said UE's playing coach Arohn Jen Cabigting, a 21-year-old civil engineering student.

Composed of Cabigting with head coach Jon Benedict Sampang, and players Ryan-Ver Federizo, Ariel Dolar, John Lawrence Chavez, John Zel Bartolo and Elijah Vilaray, UE Zenith Esports stunned powerhouse UST Teletigers when they managed to turn the tide of Game 1. The former secured the lord by the 15th minute and saw four players down on the side of UST to siege the base and take a 1-0 lead.

A costly mistake by UST in Game 2 as it hoped to take down UE's turrets saw three players down on the side of the Growling Tigers, prompting the Warriors to complete the sweep and secure the first MLBB UAAP title.

The MLBB event marked the end of esports as a special event in the UAAP Season 87. UST's Teletigers, though missing out on a championship title, had been a podium finisher in all three esports titles (NBA2K24, Valorant and MLBB) and copped two silvers and one bronze. De La Salle University's Viridis Arcus saw a championship crown for Valorant and a runner-up finish in NBA2K24, while rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles won the championship in NBA2K24 and a bronze in Valorant.