The NU Pep Squad cement their status as the new-era dynasty in UAAP Cheerdance Competition after a record-tying 8th title.
The NU Pep Squad have entered a new era in their now storied UAAP Cheerdance Competition history, winning their first title without 7-time CDC champion coach Ghicka Bernabe.
After missing out on the top step of the podium last year in their first go at the post-Bernabe era, the cheerleaders out of Legarda regained their status as kings and queens of the mats with their first championship under the tutelage of Gabby Bajacan.
[RELATED: NU Pep Squad regain UAAP CDC crown with superhuman, 'out of this world' Season 87 performance]
Throughout the years, Bajacan himself was part of the program as one of Bernabe’s deputies. Now that he leads the helm and with a championship in tow, he believes it is the proof everyone needs that the NU program will continue to work for years to come.
“I’m very thankful na yung programa na yun, hindi pa rin kami pinabayaan. Talagang doon kami naniwala, kung paano yung sistema na yun, kasi grabe, ang daming nawala sa amin na coaches pero binigay pa rin ni God sa amin yung championship na to,” said Bajacan, who had the privilege of winning NU’s record-tying 8th championship.
“Test run lang yung last year kung kakayanin talaga ng team pa rin na ituloy yun. Ngayon, it's a testament already na it's still working. We will continue and improve it for the next seasons,” he added.
Emerging as the modern powerhouse of UAAP CDC, NU has officially tied both the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe and the UP Pep Squad with the most titles in competition history with eight each.
Though they’ve only tied the two programs now, the NU Pep Squad are the obvious favorite in recent years — with neither UST or UP winning the championship for more than 10 years now.
After winning all their titles in a span of 11 UAAP seasons, NU captains JP Cabido and Vigie Calleja relished being able to match — or even exceed — the achievements of the early powerhouses in CDC.
“For me, as captain po ng team, and nakagawa po kami ng history, syempre po sobrang proud po kami kasi hindi po namin akalain na sa mismong batch pa po namin na gumawa ng history para makapagpantay po kami sa ibang school like UP and UST, so, ayun po, nagawa lang po namin yun dahil po sa coaches and sa binigay nilang piyesa samin,” said Cabido.
“Naniwala lang po kami don and ayun, napatunayan po namin na kaya pa po namin lagpasan kung ano yung pwede namin gawin,” he added.
Calleja, for her part, also said that she was determined and eager to match the record from the moment she stepped on the mats.
“Yung sa 8th championship, nakita ko na po kasi yung post na yun, eight, eight, tapos seven sa NU kaninang umaga and sabi ko talaga sa sarili ko, gagawin namin eight to. Eighth championship and ayun, sobrang yun lang yung naging mindset namin and hanggang sa pagpunta dito, di na yun nawala sa utak ko,” she said.
“Di namin binitawan yun kaya yung routine na binigay ng coaches, talagang pinagkatiwalaan namin and di talaga namin binitawan hanggang dulo kaya yun na po yung naging result ng performance namin.”
Apart from their hardware, the NU Pep Squad also bagged a big pay day as they nabbed more than Php 200,000 in cash prizes from the UAAP and the league’s various sponsors.
[RELATED: Cash Money: New champion NU Pep Squad bag big pay day after sweep of UAAP CDC]