NU seeks 4th cheerdance title

MANILA, Philippines - Three-time defending champion National U seeks to stretch its reign in the UAAP cheerdance competition, trying to outperform a field minus eight-time winner University of the Philippine U in the 2016 edition of the event at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

Action starts at 2 p.m. with La Salle taking the floor first followed by the Santo Tomas Salinggawi Dance Troupe, the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion, the Far Eastern U Cheering Squad, the Adamson Pep Squad, the UE Pep Squad and finally NU.

The UP Pep Squad is not on the competition roster.

UP is skipping this year’s Cheerdance Competition after its protest was denied.

In a statement released last month, UP, which finished third last year, contended “that the overall results did not genuinely reflect adherence to the competition guidelines and criteria.”

Before NU’s emergence as the new cheerdance power, UP was the most successful UAAP team with a medal haul of eight golds, six silvers and the same number of bronze medals.

But with tremendous boost on the entry of the SM Group of Companies, NU succeeded UP as the new cheerdance power, topping each of the last three UAAP cheerdance competitions. In those stretch, UP settled for two second-place finishes and one third.

UP has since decided to instead join the more prestigious Asian Cheerleading and Dancesport Competition.