The UP Pep Squad and the Salinggawi Dance Troupe remain tied for most Cheerdance Competition titles in UAAP history.
It has been quite some time since either UP or UST have been on the top step of the podium in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition, but both schools still hold the distinction of being the winningest cheer programs in the CDC’s 30-year history.
The two teams — the UP Pep Squad and the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe — each have eight titles to their name since the UAAP CDC’s first edition in 1994, including some lengthy runs of consecutive titles.
Understandably, the two cheer teams developed a fierce rivalry on the mats, which stretched for more than a decade until the early 2010s.
As both teams eye an elusive 9th crown when UAAP Season 87 holds its annual Cheerdance Competition on December 1, let’s take a dive into the two traditional powerhouses from their first foray into the competition.
UST sets the trend
Right from the competition’s inaugural holding back in 1994, the Salinggawi Dance Troupe immediately showed their hand, winning the first three editions of the UAAP CDC from 1994 to 1996.
Though they would only win again in 2002, the España flyers proved to be a consistent contender even in the six years in between championships — placing in the top-3 for all editions except 1998, when UST did not compete at all.
But it was in their second string of championships that the Salinggawi Dance Troupe really established themselves as a powerhouse, winning a whopping five straight UAAP CDC titles from 2002 to 2006 — stymieing UP’s own three-peat run from 1999 to 2001.
Despite being almost 20 years since UST won a CDC title, the squad has been working themselves up the rankings again in recent years.
In back-to-back editions of the CDC, the Salinggawi Dance Troupe finished third in 2022 and 2023, and remain among the most anticipated squads competing in the event.
After stepping again on the podium in the last two years, UST will hope to break the drought and the tie with the UP Pep Squad for the winningest program in CDC history with the school's first crown in 18 years.
UP’s dazzling runs
Count on the UP Pep Squad to disrupt the flow during UST’s golden years in UAAP CDC, with the cheerleaders from Diliman giving the Salinggawi Dance Troupe a run for their money in three different decades.
From breaking UST’s streak in the 90s, to winning eight titles in a span of 13 years, there isn’t much to complain about the Diliman-based cheerleaders.
Their dominance was the most apparent during their rivalry years with UST from the late 2000s to the early 2010s — as they won all but one edition of the UAAP CDC from 2007 to 2012.
While the UP Pep Squad hasn’t really dazzled since their controversial third place finish in 2015, time can only tell if the Diliman program has finished its rebuilding phase.
Not much signs of life have been detected, though, as UP is now facing a drought of podium finishes. But with the most top-3 rankings in competition history at 20, it will only be a matter of when, and not if, for the UP Pep Squad to find themselves back in contention for the crown.
Catch both the UP Pep Squad and the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe vie for the UAAP Season 87 CDC crown on Sunday, December 1, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. UST and UP perform third and fifth, respectively, in the upcoming competition.