Mapúa Cardinals

The Mapúa Cardinals are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) basketball team of the Mapúa Institute of Technology.

The other seniors varsity teams may also be referred to as the Cardinals. The juniors team were the Red Robins. The juniors team was recently inactive due to the closing of Mapúa High School. From the 2008-09 season onward, Mapúa will be represented in the juniors division by the newly-established Malayan High School of Science.

The Mapúa Cardinals holds the NCAA record for the most number of General Championships in the seniors division with a total of 20--the last of these championships was won in 1993. At distant second is the Colegio de San Juan de Letran which has 8 seniors titles.

Of the total Seniors GC's won by the Cardinals, 10 were hauled from the 1980s to the mid-1990s in addition to 3 (out of a total 8) in the juniors division over the same period, a testament to the distinguished leadership of the legendary Valerio "Amang" Lopez as Athletic Director.

Name

Don Tomas Mapúa, the founder of the Mapúa Institute of Technology. was an avid fan of the Major League Baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Juniors (high school) team adopted the Red Robin.

Basketball

History

The Mapúa Cardinals have won the NCAA Seniors Championship five times (in 1949, 1965, 1981, and the back-to-back titles from 1990-91). The MIT basketball team holds the distinction of producing alumni players who have won the season Most Valuable Player award in the professional Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the most number of years. The legendary Alfredo Hubalde and Fortunato "Atoy" Co won this award once each in 1977 and 1979, respectively, while Alvin Patrimonio. has won it four times, in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997. All three players are members of the 25 All-Time Greatest PBA Players.

The Mapúa Red Robins, on the other hand, still holds the NCAA record for winning the most number of titles in the juniors division with 18 championships, the last of which was won during the 2000 season. As a testament to its superb performance in the NCAA juniors division, the Red Robins also have the distinction of winning a rare five-year championship run from 1968 to 1972.

Players of note

• Junel Baculi (BSCE) - Former basketball coach of the Philippine national basketball teams which won the 1996 Champions Cup in Malaysia, the 1997 Champions Cup in Manila and the 2007 Seaba Games
• Carlos Badion - Member of the 1956 and 1960 Olympic teams, MVP of the 1960 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship and Philippine Basketball Hall of Fame awardee
• Joel Banal (BSMIE) - Former basketball coach of the Mapua Cardinals-NCAA champion teams of 1991 and 1992, and Ateneo Blue Eagles-UAAP champion team of 2002
• Atoy Co (BSChE) - Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)'s 1979 MVP, member of the 1972 Olympic team, the 1973 Asian Basketball Conference champion team, the legendary Crispa Redmanizers, the PBA's Hall of Fame and honored as one of the PBA's 25 All-Time Greatest Players
• Freddie Hubalde, NCAA 1973 Seniors Basketball MVP, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)'s 1977 MVP, member of the legendary Crispa Redmanizers and one of the PBA's 25 All-Time Greatest Players
• Leo Isaac (BSMIE) - Former Philippine Basketball Association player; current coach of the Arellano University Chiefs and the Mapua Cardinals senior basketball teams
• Menardo Jubinal (BSCE) - Former Philippine Basketball Association player; Mapua Cardinals senior basketball team NCAA Champion of 1981.
• Alvin Patrimonio (BSCE)- Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)'s four-time MVP winning the award in 1991, 1993,1994 and 1997; member of several Philippine national basketball teams and one of the PBA's 25 All-Time Greatest Players
• Ernesto "Day" Dizon - Never made it to the PBA, but works really hard.
• Bong Ramos, (BSMIE) - Former coach of the Indonesian national basketball team
• Tacing Tanquintic - The original and first "King Cardinal" who led the MIT team to its first ever NCAA seniors basketball crown in 1940
• Other former Mapua Red Robins and/or Cardinals who eventually played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) include: Israel Catacutan, Ricardo dela Peña, Benny Cheng (1991 NCAA MVP), "Bong" dela Cruz, Paolo Hubalde, Rudolph Kutch, Eric Leaño, Eugene Leano, Romulo Mamaril, Jay Mendoza, Kevin Ramas (1990 NCAA MVP), Ricky Relosa, Johnny Revilla, Reuben dela Rosa (1993 NCAA MVP), Omanzie Rodriguez, Victor Sanchez, Jack Santiago, Khynce Canitan, Rudy Soriano, Mark Telan, Edgardo Topacio, and Chito Victolero.
• Other Notable MIT Cardinals and/or Red Robins include: Japeth Aguilar, Patrick Benedicto, Jensen Pimentel, Jefferson Tee, James Tuason, John Bernales, Christian Guevarra (member 2004 National Basketball Team, 2003 & 2004 NCAA Mythical Five), Sean Co, Mickey Estrada, Joferson Gonzales, and Kelvin dela Peña (2007 NCAA MVP).

Men's Basketball Roster

#	Position	Name
9	G	Acosta, Mark Anthony
8	PG	Jonathan Banal
13	G/F	Cinco, Paul Alexis
11	G/F	Cornejo, Erwin
12	G	Kelvin dela Peña
17	PF	Espinosa, Kevin
18	PG	Guillermo, Teree Gil
4	G	Mangahas, Allan
7	F	Mazo, Ian
10	PG	Palomique, Jewel jr.
5	C/PF	Pascual, Jason
15	PF/C	Pascual, Neil Anthony Jr.
14	G	Raneses, Rodel
6	C	Sarangay, Mark
16	G	Soriano, Randolf
00	Coach	Isaac, Leo

Track and Field

Another sport where the Mapua Cardinals and Red Robins have demonstrated their dominance in the NCAA is in track and field. Prior to 1953, relay and track and field events were counted separately although Mapuan athletes have already demonstrated a winning tradition. Since 1953 when these events were formalized, MIT has won a total of 25 titles in the seniors division and 6 in the juniors division. Ateneo de Manila follows at a distant second with 17 juniors and 6 seniors titles.

The Mapúa track and field team has produced some notable Philippine sports heroes including:

• Henry Dagmil - Member of the Philippine track and field team; 2005 South East Asian Games Gold Medalist and record holder in the long jump event.
• Claro Pellosis - Member of the 1936 Olympic team for track and field.
• Simeon Toribio - Member of the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympic teams; Olympic Bronze Medalist in the high jump event at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics; many-time Asian Games gold medalist and recipient of the 1930 World Helms Trophy for being Asia's greatest athlete. The only Filipino to be awarded such honor.
• Miguel White - Member of the 1936 Olympic team; Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 400m hurdles at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Several other members of past Philippine national teams are also from MIT.

Other Sports

The Mapúa Institute of Technology has also shown great performances in other sports.

Swimming: As an example, the Mapúa seniors swimming team, coached for many years by Prof. Edilberto Bonus, has won no less than 40 titles in the seniors division and 22 in the juniors. This clearly dominating record is followed only by that of San Beda College with 21 championships in the juniors division but only 8 titles in the seniors events. MIT's tankers last won the seniors crown in 1997 while the last juniors title was won in 1991.

Prof. Bonus, an outstanding Mapuan, is himself a distinguished swimmer having won the Bronze Medal at the first Asian Games that was held in New Delhi, India in 1951. Until his retirement, he was an admired professor of both Mathematics and Physical Education at the Institute. He also served as President of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association for several years.

Chess: The MIT chess team has produced the likes of Eugene Torre, Asia's first grandmaster as well as International Master Renato Naranja, both of whom represented the country in the 1972 Chess Olympiad. In addition, several National Masters including Ernesto Encarnacion Jr. and Julius De Ramos also honed their skills with the seniors chess team. Mapua has won a total of 11 NCAA Chess titles in the seniors division, the last being in 2002, and 6 NCAA juniors titles although the last one was in 1996.

Tennis: MIT leads the NCAA with 16 seniors and 17 juniors titles followed by San Beda with 11 seniors and 14 juniors championships. Mapua's tennis greats include former Philippine and Southeast Asian number one netter Manuel Tolentino who represented the country in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Mapua last won the seniors title in 1994 and the juniors in 1997. Football: Behind La Salle and San Beda, Mapúa has the third best winning record in football with 7 juniors titles and 12 seniors titles. The MIT football team has produced several players who have played for the Philippine national football team in international competitions.

Cheering at the NCAA

The MIT Cheerping Cardinals

The Mapúa Cheerleading Association known informally as the Cheerping Cardinals won the NCAA's first ever cheerdancing competition held in 2004. Since then, they continued to show great performances in succeeding years including a runner-up finish in the last 2007 competition where they lost to the University of Perpetual Help pep squad by a mere one-point margin.

MIT Songs and Cheers

The staple cheer of the Mapúa Institute of Technology is the cry "Viva Mapúa!"