UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas rode on seniors Jocel Ninobla and Rodolfo Reyes Jr. to reclaim the championship in the UAAP Season 80 poomsae competitions yesterday at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Ninobla and Reyes won their respective individual events and later combined forces in winning the mixed pair event to help the Growling Tigers bag their third championship overall.
Ninobla tallied 8.250 points to rule the female individual category, beating De La Salle’s Rinna Babanto (8.165) and University of the Philppines’ Patricia Jubelar (8.115).
With 8.435 points, Reyes topped the male individual event, prevailing over Ateneo’s Marvin Gabriel Vidal (8.270) and De La Salle’s McAvyngyr Alob (8.130).
The bemadalled UST duo then finished their collegiate stint on a high note by winning the gold in the mixed pair with 8.395, besting De La Salle’s Angelica Gaw and Raphael Enrico Mella (8.250) and UP’s Janna Oliva and Jayboy Buenavista (8.235).
The Tigers also bagged a bronze in the female team category.
The Green Archers, last season’s champions, settled for second this time with a 1-2-1 gold-silver-bronze haul.
De La Salle’s Alob, Mella and Benjamin Sembrano emerged victorious in the male team event with 8.320 points.
Far Eastern University, with its one gold and one bronze showing, made it to the the podium for the first time.
Juvenile Faye Crisostomo also ended her collegiate stint as a winner, helping the Tamaraws win the gold in the female team event, alongside Winlou dela Cerna and Leonarda Nicole Landrito with 8.330 points. FEU also took home a bronze in the male team category.
Despite their silver medals in the female and male team events, the Fighting Maroons wound up fourth.
Meanwhile, the three-day taekwondo tournament in the men’s and women’s division will start at 9 a.m. today at the same Katipunan venue.