UAAP Season 82 Bows Down Virtually

It may not have been the closing ceremony everyone expected it but given the circumstances, it's the perfect closing ceremony for a season that gave us more than just exciting action on the hardcourt.

Unity. Recognition. Service to the Filipino. Those were the themes of yesterday's closing ceremony of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 which was televised via the Facebook page and Youtube channel of ABS CBN Sports. The ceremony revolved around the student-athletes of the eight-member schools especially those student-athletes whose season came to an abrupt end last April 7 as the league officially canceled the second-semester events due to the ongoing 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic- one event being the women's volleyball where the Ateneo Lady Eagles were gunning for their second straight title. Virtually hosted by veteran UAAP commentator Mico Halili and Denice Dinsay, the league officially crowned the University of Santo Tomas as the general champions for the seniors and juniors divisions after scoring 209 points while ruling over five events: both men's and women's division of the beach volleyball, the men's and women's division of the table tennis, and the men's judo. This also gives UST's 44th overall championship. Also among those who were honored were fifteen student-athletes from different events and while there was no Athlete of the Year awardee for Season 82, the league instead used the absence of the said award to honor a total of 1,214 student-athletes who never got the chance to complete Season 82 after their events got scrapped. The closing ceremony also saw the UAAP giving recognition to the winners of the Most Valuable Player award in each of the events. 

Yesterday's ceremony marked the end of a season filled with ups and downs but if there's one thing that Season 82 did, it definitely gave us more than winning and losing. And yes, it made UAAP fans ask for more.

Photo is from ABS CBN Sports