MANILA -- A new champion emerges.
The Adamson Pep Squad reigned supreme in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition, taking its first ever top finish in front of 19,852 people at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Saturday night.
The Adamsonians put to an end the dream run of the NU Pep Squad, which won four consecutive pennants prior to this year.
Adamson Pep performed a near-flawless old-school music-themed routine that earned the team 663.5 out of a possible 800 points, enough to beat the rest of the field, including the comebacking UP Pep Squad.
Also sending shockwaves was the UE Pep Squad, whose "surprising" Phoenix-themed routine merited the team 634.5 points for third place.
Meanwhile, the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe recovered from a so-so opening stunts and delivered beautifully in the end to capture second place with 638.5 points.
The erstwhile champs, who performed first in the competition, fell to a tie with the FEU Cheering Squad for fourth place with 610.5 points, with huge falls somehow affecting their quest for a 5-peat.
The De La Salle Animo Squad's Japanese-inspired production was good for seventh with 567.5 points, while the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion had to settle anew for eighth place with 558.5 points.
UP Pep's comeback routine, focused on the daily lives of UP students, was only good enough for sixth place, amassing 575.5 points. This is the first time since the team joined the said competition in 1995 that the Diliman-based team failed to make it to the podium.
UP Pep's comeback trail, however, still ended well as the team took third place in the group stunts contest.
A late fall affected what was otherwise a solid performance for UP Pep, but the team still managed to enter the Top 3.
The Adamson Pep Squad finished second, while FEUCS, which delivered a flawless stunt, topped the said competition, also dethroning NU Pep, which finished fourth, in the process. (PNA)
