The University Athletic Association of the Philippines UAAP’s 82nd season, which ended prematurely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was officially closed on July 25 through a virtual ceremony, with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) amassing enough points to earn the overall title in both the college and high school divisions for the fourth straight year. UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., received on behalf of the University the honor of being named overall champion through a video message.
Outgoing UAAP president Emmanuel Fernandez of the Ateneo de Manila University, Season 82 host school, initially announced UST’s championship at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum held on June 16, 2020.
UAAP cancelled its season on April 7, leaving the volleyball, football, baseball, softball, athletics, lawn tennis and 3×3 basketball events unfinished. At that point, six of 18 championships in high school and 21 of 31 titles in college had already been awarded, paving enough way for UST to be announced as champions. From those completed tournaments, teams from UST obtained five gold medals in the college division (men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s table tennis, men’s judo) for a total of 209 points.
UST also bagged five silver medals from both men’s and women’s basketball, men’s chess, women’s taekwondo, and women’s judo, as well as three bronze medals from men’s swimming, women’s chess, and men’s taekwondo.
In the high school division, UST still emerged victorious with a total of 159 points after wins in boys’ and girls’ swimming, boys’ taekwondo, boys’ judo, girls’ basketball and boys’ baseball. It is the Tiger Cubs’ sixth straight and 21st overall high school trophy.
The computation solely came from first semester sports after majority of the second semester sports were called off in consideration of community quarantine restrictions.
