Members of the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion pay tribute to the late pop icon Michael Jackson with an entertaining routine highlighted by the 'moon walk' dance number performed above. (Bob Dungo Jr.)

The Far Eastern University Cheering Squad ended an 11-year title drought with a shock victory in the 2009 Samsung UAAP Cheerdance Competition in front of a capacity crowd Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Relying on gymnastics skills and a "Sarimanok" prop to cap it off, the Morayta-based squad, this season's host, stunned its more fabled rivals – the two-time defending champion UP Cheering Squad and the UST Salingawi Dance Troupe – and the 20,500 screaming spectators.

FEU, which last won the event in 1998, scored 86.1 points to edge Ateneo (83.4) and UP (83.1) and earn the top prize of P225,000.

"We decided to adopt the concept (Sarimanok) during the opening for this year's competition," said FEU team captain Venmar Cudog. "Naisip po namin na with that theme na even though we're competing, we're also thinking of the association which is the UAAP."

The victorious squad prepared for five months and place sixth in the recent National Cheerdance Competition.

"After how many years that we're running in second or third and finally we won it," said FEU chorographer Jacky Alolor who had two members on the national team.

The Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion, a squad that has shown improvement over the last few years, paid homage to the late Michael Jackson in securing second place and P140,000.

Thanks to a clean and effective routine, Ateneo dazzled the crowd with an impressive moonwalk made famous by the late pop icon.

"We could say that through the Michael Jackson dance, our routine was full of energy," said Ateneo member Sari Campos, who bagged the Samsung Stunner award.

"One day nag-experiment yung coach namin and we decided to try it," said Ateneo team lifter Marty Boragay.

UP performed with a theme that featured a taste of the school's campus life such as a jeepney and various OPM songs from Yano and The Dawn. They took home P90,000.

But the biggest surprise of the day was the failure of the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe from landing in the top three.