Warriors, Tamaraws top UAAP athletics

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/10/2010 12:16 PM

MANILA, Philippines – University of the East (UE) pulled the rubber carpet under perennial men’s overall champion Far Eastern University’s (FEU) feet but it was an upstart lass from University of Santo Tomas (UST) who hogged the limelight to cap the final day of the 72nd UAAP athletics competition.

Despite copping only 4 golds, 8 silvers and 6 bronzes, the UE Warriors registered a whopping 196 points to overhaul the 182-point output of the FEU Tamaraws last Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Oval in Manila.

FEU got 8 golds – 4 coming from MVP Romnick Herida – 3 silvers and 5 bronzes.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) edged UST, 145-142, for 3rd place. The Eagles collected 6 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes against the Tigers’ 3-5-5 harvest.

De La Salle University (DLSU) and University of the Philippines (UP) wound up 5th and 6th with 70 and 67 points, respectively.

In the distaff side, the Lady Tamaraws extended their reign as UAAP track queens for the nth time after building a 304-point cushion on a 5-12-6 medal plateau.

UST, with the record-smashing feats of MVP and Rookie of the Year Serenata Saluan, finished bridesmaids to FEU anew, tallying 253 points courtesy of a 12-2-3 showing. UE placed a far 3rd with 1-2-3 mints for 106 points.

Rounding up the women’s division are ADMU (74 points), UP (63 points) and DLSU (38 points).

Rookie MVP

The 17-year-old Saluan became the season’s biggest winner as she copped 7 golds anchored on 4 new records, including a phenomenal 2:10.08 clocking in the 800-m run to erase the 1994 National Junior Record of 2:15.03 by Hazel Madamba. She aced the heats in 2:11.19.

She capped Day 3 with a booming reset of the old UAAP standard in the 3,000-m steeplechase, crossing the line in 11:56.12. FEU’s Dalyn Carmen and Marry Ann dela Cruz checked in second and third, respectively.

Saluan then teamed up with Maria Dela Paz and Viena Mae Banebane and Keizel Pedriña to rewrite the previous 4x400-m relay criterion with a 3:54.54 time, rungs ahead of 2nd and 3rd placers FEU and UE which failed to crack the 4-minute barrier.

UST’s prized find brushed aside another marquee challenge from Carmen and dela Cruz as she claimed the 5,000-m run gold via a record-breaking 18:39.06 effort, just a minute under her personal-best of 18:38.06 in the qualifiers. Carmen and dela Cruz settled for runner-up honors, negotiating the race below the 19-minute buffer.

Saluan’s record-tumblers underscored her tournament debut when she ruled the 1,500-m run in 4:43.36.

The Lady Tamaraws, meanwhile, clinched the individual golds in the 5,000 and 3,000-m walks, shot put, javelin and discuss throw events. UE won its lone gold in triple jump.

Herida, for his part, bannered FEU’s campaign in 4 events, including the centerpiece 100-m dash where he led the pack in 10.97 seconds. He also topped the 200-m (22.06) and 400-m dashes (49.82) before annexing the 4x400-m relay gold in 3:21.84 with teammates Charlie Ducusin, John Rhey Bardos and Jesson Cid. Herida also bagged a silver as part of the 4x100-m relay crew.

Double golds

Also making their presence felt were double-gold winners Javier Gomez of UP and Wenlie Maulas of UE and UST’s Luville Dato-on and Meriam Colangoy.

Gomez prevailed in the decathlon (5,803 points) and javelin throw (51.24 meters) events while Colangoy took the heptathlon gold with 3,236 points before joining Dato-on, the women’s long jump victor (5.56 meters), in UST’s 4x100-m relay triumph (48.72).

Maulas won the men’s 800-m (1:55.09) and 1,500-m (4:03.56) runs.

Richard Salano, a silver medalist in the 5,000-m run, was named Rookie of the Year in the men’s division.

In the juniors’ category, UP scored 305 markers to beat ADMU (299) and UST (188) for the overall title.

Patrick Unso of UST grabbed the juniors’ MVP plum on top of 6 golds and a bronze, including record-setting exploits in the 100-m, 200-m and 400-m runs and 110-m hurdles.

Juniors’ Rookie of the Year Christian Ferrer also got a piece of the spotlight, pocketing golds in the 5,000-m and 3,000-m runs, a silver in the 1,500-m run, and a bronze in the 2,000-m run.

ADMU, meanwhile, finished 1-2-3 in the octathlon with Joaquin Ferrer (3,700 points) outpointing teammates Carlos Iñigo (3,301) and Luis Rodal (3,121). – by Anthony Divinagracia

ABS-CBN News Online Beta