UST leads race for UAAP overall crown

MANILA, Philippines - Despite its bungled job at the centerpiece men’s basketball crown, University of Santo Tomas seized a slim lead against La Salle in the race for the UAAP Season 78 general championship.

The Tigers’ runner-up finish to Far Eastern in the well-followed cage wars earned UST 12 points, hiking their tally to a league-best 155 points after the first semester.

The España-based athletes reigned in men’s taekwondo, poomsae and women’s judo and took the maximum 15 points in each event.

 Aside from the bridesmaid finish in men’s hoops, they also grabbed the silver medals in men’s beach volleyball, women’s taekwondo, men’s judo and men’s table tennis to boost their overall standing.

UST stood two points clear of closest rival La Salle (153) at the halfway point of the season.

The La Sallians anchored their card on their breakthrough crown in women’s beach volleyball and a sweep of men’s and women’s table tennis. DLSU only had two runner-up finishes – men’s badminton and men’s swimming – but made up for it with seven third places, which accounted for 10 points apiece.

Ateneo de Manila took the No. 3 position with 140 points built around its double championship romp in men’s and women’s swimming and victories in men’s judo and men’s beach volleyball.

Host University of the Philippines ranked fourth with 115, striking hard on its conquest of women’s badminton and runner-up finishes in poomsae and women’s swimming.

Newly crowned cage king FEU piled up 90 points in 11 events for fifth followed by women’s basketball and men’s badminton ruler National U (84), women’s taekdondo ruler University of the East (82), and Adamson (38).

A total of 15 events were held in the first sem and 14 more are up in the second, including the volleyball hostilities which kick off Jan. 30.