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Arellano Chief Squad back as NCAA cheerleading champ

By Ivan Saldajeno

PASAY—For the third straight year, the NCAA cheerleading championship changed hands.

But the team that initiated the first changing of hands once again grabbed all the marbles.

The Arellano Chief Squad quickly prevented the Altas Perpsquad from rebuilding a string of NCAA cheerleading championships after reclaiming the said plum at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday night.

The Chief Squad got back on top of the cheerdance ladder of the country's oldest collegiate sports league after a near flawless routine gave the team 218 points, which was enough to best the Perpsquad and six other competing teams for PHP100,000.

The Perpsquad, whose five-peat from 2010-2014 was snapped by the Chief Squad in 2015 but regained the crown by a close margin last year, is the bridesmaid anew with 199.5 points, settling for the PHP75,000 pot.

The Mapua Cheerping Cardinals made a return to the podium after finishing third with 191 points, earning for themselves PHP50,000.

On the other hand, the San Beda Red Corps, which has been among the bottom teams in the competition since its inception in 2004, made a huge splash this year, finishing fourth with 175 points.

The ESC Pep Squad took the fifth spot with 164.5 points, while the Blazers Pep Squad got sixth place with 156.5 points.

The Lyceum Pep Squad is seventh with 143 points, while the JRU Pep Squad settled for eighth with 141.

Letran and San Sebastian begged off from participating this year.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno