The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons embodied honor and excellence in UAAP Season 88, bannering “Strength in Motion, Hope in Action” not only in prowess but also in forwarding camaraderie among competing schools.
In its nine-month journey, State U garnered a total of 13 medals: two gold, eight silver and three bronze. They amassed a total of 263 points, securing third place in the general championship.
In the end, some finished stronger than others, pulling off upsets and reclaiming lost glory but that is not to say the UP faithful did not see flashes of hope for the future of State U.
Feats of strength
The Women’s Varsity Swimming Team (VST) collected the first championship for State U out of redemption, tallying a total of 472 points from 12 gold, seven silver and six bronze medals.
READ: UP VST, TFT add to UAAP 88 medal haul
Quendy Fernandez led the Maroon race with five gold and one bronze medal, while also resetting the 100m backstroke UAAP record she previously set in Season 87with a time of 1:02.95. Fernandez then set a new record in the 50m iteration, clocking in a time of 29.35 seconds.
Rookie Aubrey Tom made waves in her collegiate debut and brought home the Rookie of the Year award, together with a silver and two bronze medals.
With a wealth of talent on its belt, the UP Men’s Football Team was determined to reclaim lost glory, charging to its best finish yet since Season 80 with an 11-1 record at the end of the eliminations and eventually bringing the crown back to Diliman.
READ: Coronation State U: UP MFT reclaims UAAP title in dramatic win over FEU
Best Defender and eventual Co-Finals MVP Charles Lobitaña scored the equalizer just before stoppage time, pushing the match into extended time, where Ramil Bation III scored the championship goal.
The Maroon captain was also given Athlete of the Year honors in the collegiate team division. Co-captain Flor Tacardon was awarded Co-Finals MVP, while Fonzy Gonzales recorded the most clean sheets to bring home the Best Goalkeeper plum.
The UP Streetdance Club (SDC) closed out the gold medal haul with a successful title defense, putting on a Filipino heroes-themed performance and topping the scoresheet with 93.33 points.
WATCH: UP SDC members reflect on their performance and bringing hope to Filipinos
Motions of resolve
Despite falling short of clinching the gold, some showed that silver still shines by proving that they get better every season.
The Men’s Badminton Varsity Team (BVT) booked a spot in the Finals for the first time since Season 81, upgrading its hardware to silver after three consecutive bronze finishes.
READ: Swing for State U: UAAP 88 medal haul opens with UP Badminton Team
In true Fighting Maroons fashion, the Men’s Basketball Team bounced back from a 0-2 opener to a 10-4 elimination record and headed into the Finals as the first seed.
Determined to end their collegiate careers on a high note, team captain Gerry Abadiano took over in the clutch to push for a deciding Game 3. But UP eventually left it all on the UAAP hardcourt as they settled for silver after falling to the arrows of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers.
READ: Daylight comes for Maroon 5
Coming off of third place in Season 87, the Women’s Fencing Team improved to a silver finish, racking in three gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
The Maroon Tennis Team concluded its season campaign with double-silver finishes, with the men’s team putting out a ten-year Finals drought and the women’s team keeping its place on the podium for the fourth consecutive season.
WATCH: Athletes of Diliman: UP Tennis Team
Newcomers Carl Tan and Marielle Jarata aced their Maroon debuts with Rookie of the Year honors in their respective divisions. To top it all off, Jufe-Ann Cocoy was given Athlete Scholar of the Year honors.
For the fourth straight season, the Softball Varsity Team kept its presence in the Finals but ultimately fell short in upsetting the eventual 13-time champion Adamson dynasty.
WATCH: Athletes of Diliman: UP Softball Varsity Team
The Women’s Judo Team made its way back to the podium, while the Men’s Judo Team began its bid to reclaim the championship, but both squads eventually fell to the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
Rovy Mae Ujano added a Rookie of the Year trophy to the Maroon judokas’ season haul.
Grit in action
Year after year, some teams show excellence on the courts, keeping their place on the podium time and time again.
Despite being denied a fifth consecutive Finals appearance, the Women’s BVT ended its title-defense bid with a hard-earned bronze medal finish after besting the UST Lady Shutters.
Brys Fuggan shone in her first season as a Fighting Maroon, adding a second Rookie of the Year award to the team’s collection.
READ: Seniors and family fueled Brys Fuggan towards ROTY plum
Season 87 champions Men’s Track and Field Team (TFT) earned its hard-fought second runner-up finish, tallying a total of 213.25 points. Ranier Sobrepeña set a new UAAP record in the Men’s Triple Jump, logging a distance of 15.42m.
WATCH: Athletes of Diliman: UP Track and Field Team
A double podium performance from Calix Ho and Dexter Ramos on opening day sparked momentum for the Men’s Fencing Team, bagging a total of one gold, two silver and two bronze medals to finish third overall.
Ho established his name on the strip as he was named Rookie of the Year, keeping the future of Maroon Fencing bright.
Rounding out the podium finishes are the Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams in the inaugural golf tournament.
Shards of hope
Braving challenges, roster shakeups and transition periods, others vow to bounce back and ignite the flashes of hope they displayed this season.
After back-to-back fifth place finishes, the Baseball Team returned to the Final Four but fell to the eventual three-peat champions, NU Bulldogs.
WATCH: Razhley Santos on team’s progress amidst rebuild
State U also placed fourth in the standings in the Women’s Beach Volleyball, Men’s Swimming, Women’s Track and Field and Taekwondo tournaments.
Eyeing to rebuild its young team, the Women’s Football Team finished its season campaign in fifth place.
READ: Out but still up: UP WFT ends transition season in goalless stalemate vs UST
Denied a third straight podium, the Men’s Chess Team placed fifth in both the Classical and Blitz formats.
Both Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis and 3×3 squads ended their journeys in sixth place.
Despite showing promise in the preseason, the Women’s Volleyball Team saw its Final Four goal fade away in the face of injuries and roster shakeups.
Outgoing seniors Irah Jaboneta, Niña Ytang and team captain Joan Monares ended their collegiate careers in sixth place, with Ytang etching her name in league history as the lone player to earn four consecutive Best Middle Blocker awards.
WATCH: Monares, Ytang and Jaboneta look back on their UAAP journey
Capping off the squads who landed sixth in the standings are the Pep Squad and the Men’s Beach Volleyball team.
The Women’s Chess Team ended its campaign last at seventh in the Classical format, while landing at sixth in the Blitz rounds.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Basketball Team finished last in eighth place and continues to rebuild after the absence of mainstay Kaye Pesquera and the exit of Favour Onoh, aiming to regroup with a new set of coaching staff.
The Men’s Volleyball Team slid to eighth with a 3-11 record.
After showing feats of strength and glimpses of hope for the future, State U now turns the page towards another season of growth, grit and pride.
From breakthrough performances to hard-fought battles on the court, the Fighting Maroons proved once again that strength is not only found in victory but in the courage to move forward and become better together.
As the UAAP enters a new chapter for next season’s festivities with the theme, “For Everyone, UAAP,” the Fighting Maroons will gear up to continue carrying the UP Fight.
