UP FIGHTING MAROONS

The 'Fighting Maroons' is the varsity team of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. The team competes in all sports of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), in which it is one of the founding members (1938). The team is a perennial contender for the over-all championship for the past years in that league. It was also a founding member and the mastermind of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the year 1924.
The team last won the UAAP Overall Championships in the 1997-1998 season, two years before the University last hosted the competitions.
The University of the Philippines Integrated School is the junior affiliate school. They play as the ''Junior Maroons'', formerly the ''Preps''.

Contents

Name

Teams

Championships

Streaks

Double Crowns

2006-2007 (69th) UAAP Season

Basketball

Men's Basketball

Women's Basketball

Chess

Men's Chess

Women's Chess

Baseball

Rankings

Players of Note

Men's Basketball

See also

External links

Name

The word Maroon comes from the Spanish word ''cimarron'' which means wild: untamed. They were slaves who either ran away from or were released by the Spanish before the English invaded Jamaica in 1655. They were successful in retaining their independence after 150 years of slavery by constantly defending their freedom. Their settlements were small, not more than 2,000 strong, but they fought as if they were in greater numbers. (taken from The History of Jamaica)
The use of the term embodies the spirit of students of the University to "escape" from the status quo, by trying to bring it to a state of betterment. The adjective "fighting" was added for the athletic team to intensify the eagerness to combat any obstacles to win for the honor of the University.
Former names include the ''Maroons and Greens'' and the ''Parrots''.

Teams

'UAAP Varsity Teams:' ★ Basketball ★ Volleyball ★ Swimming ★ Table Tennis ★ Chess ★ Baseball ★ Football ★ Softball

★ Tennis ★ Judo ★ Badminton ★ Fencing ★ Taekwondo ★ Athletics ★ Beach Volleyball

'Other Varsity Teams:' ★ Pep Squad ★ Dragonboat Rowing ★ Rifle Pistol Team

Championships

The following table shows the number of championships in the UAAP, unless otherwise specified. It can be noted that UP has titles in all the 14 sports in the UAAP program, and the University boasts of successful swimming and volleyball programs, both with 24 titles apiece in the league (27 for swimming if one includes NCAA).

Sport	Men's	Women's	Boys'	Girls'	Total
'Swimming'	14 NCAA: 3	9	0	1	'27 ★ '
'Volleyball'	9	3	''3''	''9''	'24'
'Baseball'	''19''	-	-	-	'19'
'Basketball'	2 NCAA: 4	7	2 NCAA: 3	-	'18' ★
'Athletics'	8	''10''	0	-	'18 ★ ★ '
'Judo'	3	9	0	-	'12'
'Badminton'	5	6	-	-	'11'
'Table Tennis'	3	4	-	-	'7'
'Tennis'	6 NCAA: 1	0	-	-	'7 ★ '
'Football'	3	3	-	-	'6'
'Fencing'	0	5	-	-	'5'
'Chess'	1	3	-	-	'4'
'Softball'	-	3	-	-	'3'
'Taekwondo'	0	1	0	-	'1'

Note: Most number of championships in each division is in ''italics.''


★ includes both UAAP & NCAA titles


★
★ does not include NCAA titles

Streaks

★ Current Championship Streak(s): :Men's Swimming - 4 (2002-2006)

★ Longest Championship Streak(s): :Women's Badminton - 6 (1995-2001) (UAAP Record) :Women's Fencing - 5 (2000-2005) (UAAP Record) :Women's Judo - 5 (1999-2003) :Men's Badminton - 4 (1997-2001) :Men's Swimming - 4 (1996-2000 and 2002-2006) :Women's Table Tennis - 4 (1997-2000) :Men's Tennis - 3 (1997-2000)

Double Crowns

A 'double crown' usually refers to winning both the Men's and Women's (Seniors), or Boys' and Girls' (Juniors) championship in the same sport at a single UAAP season.

★ Seniors:

★
★ Badminton: 4 (consecutive: 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01)

★
★ Swimming: 4 (consecutive: 1939-40, 1940-41; and 1947-48, 1997-98)

★
★ Athletics: 3 (consecutive: 1972-73, 1973-74; and 1977-78)

★
★ Volleyball: 2 (consecutive: 1978-79, 1979-80)

★
★ Judo: 1 (1995-96)

★
★ Football: 1 (1978-79)

★ Juniors:

★
★ Volleyball: 3 (consecutive: 1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86)


The following are "double crowns" of different nature:

★ Men's & Girls'

★
★ Volleyball: 3 (1991-92, 1994-95, 1999-2000)

★
★ Swimming: 1 (2006-07)

★ Men's & Boys'

★
★ Basketball: 2 (consecutive: 1925-26, 1926-27) (NCAA)

2006-2007 (69th) UAAP Season

Main articles: UP Fighting Maroons at UAAP Season 69

Basketball

Men's Basketball

Going into the UAAP 69th Season, the team was considered to be an underdog, having lost many players due to graduation and the new UAAP rule on graduate students. UP paraded nine rookies in its 14-man roster and enlisted the services of comebacking coach Joe Lipa.
The Fighting Maroons finished sixth overall, a notch down from their previous year's ranking, with a W-L card of 4-8. The Maroons started their season with a win against UST Growling Tigers and ended it with a two-win run against UST and UE Red Warriors (UST and UE eventually entered the Final Four. UST won over UE twice in the semis to make it to the Finals). The other win was at the expense of NU. Most of the team's losses were close games in the final stretch.
UP was the only team not beaten by eventual champions UST in Season 69.

Women's Basketball

The team is one of the teams considered to be the "team to watch" this season due to an almost intact line-up from last season, and due to blue-chip recruits from high school powerhouses in girls basketball like Miriam College.
The Lady Maroons almost did not live up to this billing after ending with a 2-4 W-L slate at the end of first round; winning only against the cellar-dwellers UE Amazons and NU Lady Bulldogs. However, UP managed to do what they did last year, i.e. win games in bundles in the second round losing only to the Ateneo Lady Eagles to enter the Final Four for the fourth time since 2003.
The team managed to force a rubber match in their first game against UST Tigresses in the semis, but lost in that deciding game; consequently ending their season at fourth place with 8-7 card, a place lower than the previous season's.

Chess

Men's Chess

The team was heavily-favored going into the tournament due to its successful stint the previous season dethroning the De La Salle Green Archers, which was suspended for the current season. The Maroon Woodpushers finished the first round robin at fourth-place with only 11.5 board scores and 8 match points, losing to NU, winning against UE, UST and Ateneo, and drawing with FEU and Adamson. However, the Maroon Woodpushers proved their potency as a team in the second round with 20 points and 11 match points, winning against every team and drawing against FEU.
The team finished as this year's runner-up, though sharing the 31.5 board scores with Adamson, due to its 19 match points total, and with that win against Adamson in the second round.

Women's Chess

The former three-time champions was once again bannered by defending Most Valuable Player (MVP) Catherine Pereña.

Baseball

The Maroons entered the tournament as the defending champions and finished with the second best record in the elimination round and a twice-to-beat edge.
However, UP lost all games in the Final Four to the eventual champion UST Growling Tigers, and lost a battle-for-third matchup with the NU Bulldogs.

Rankings

Being the three most popular sports in UAAP, this is the school's ranking in Men's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, and Men's Football since 1987, the year, the UAAP became an 8-team league:

''Season''	''MEN'S BASKETBALL''	''WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL''	''MEN'S FOOTBALL''
1987-1988	'3rd'	'3rd'	5th
1988-1989	'3rd'	4th	4th
1989-1990	5th	3rd	4th
1990-1991	7th	4th	6th
1991-1992	6th	4th	6th
1992-1993	6th	6th	6th
1993-1994	7th	6th	6th
1994-1995	5th	5th	6th
1995-1996	5th	8th	6th
1996-1997	4th	7th	6th
1997-1998	4th	6th	5th
1998-1999	5th	7th	6th
1999-2000	6th	7th	4th
2000-2001	7th	5th	'1st'
2001-2002	7th	6th	'1st'
2002-2003	6th	5th	'3rd'
2003-2004	6th	5th	'2nd'
2004-2005	4th	7th	6th
2005-2006	4th	7th	4th
2006-2007	6th	6th	'3rd'
2007-2008	TBD	TBD	TBD

Players of Note

Men's Basketball

★ Benjie Paras

★ Ronnie Magsanoc

★ Eric Altamirano

★ Joey Guanio

★ Ryan Gregorio

★ Bo Perasol

★ Poch Juinio

★ Paolo Mendoza

★ Bryan Gahol

★ Jojo Villa

★ Edrick Ferrer

★ Mike Bravo

★ Jenkins Mesina

★ Marvin Cruz

★ Artemio "Toti" Almeda

★ Jireh Ibañes

★ Jay-r Reyes

★ Abby Santos

★ Nestor David

★ Rodel Celo

★ Kenneth Robin

★ Bruce Quebral

★ Yeng Guiao

See also

★ University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)

★ University of the Philippines

External links

★ UP Fighting Maroons unofficial site: Unofficial site