UAAP to honor winning teams, MVPs, top rookies

The best and the brightest in college sports take centerstage on March 22 in the Annual Awards of the 66th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) which general host Ateneo is staging at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater inside its Katipunan campus.

UAAP Season 66 president Jose Capistrano Jr. will lead the presentation of the overall seniors championship trophy to University of Santo Tomas (UST), but the evening will also belong to the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) and top rookies in the 14 sports the UAAP hosts annually.

UST ran away with the general championships while De La Salle, which takes its turn to host the league next season, and University of the Philippines tied for second.

The MVPs are: athletics–Ralph Waldo Soguilon (DLSU) and Mary Grace Melgar (UE), baseball–Darwin de la Calzada (UP), chess–John Paul Gomez (DLSU) and Christine Grace Espallardo (UP), fencing–Edmond Velez (UE) and Virgie Nuestro (UP); taekwondo–Jeferthom Go (UST) and Josephine Strachan (UST), judo–Artur Emile T. Dela Cerna (UST) and Mary Joan P. Licup (UST),

Table tennis–Celedonio T. Pisan Jr. (UST) and Jaymee P. Yanga (UST), Swimming–Benjamin Uy (DLSU) and Michelle Nisce (UST), lawn tennis–Yannick Guba (DLSU) and Bernardine Aurell Sepulveda (DLSU), volleyball–Janley Patrona (DLSU) and Desiree C. Hernandez (DLSU),

Basketball–James Carlos Yap (UE) and Dorothy CV Torres (Adamson), football Ariel Zerrudo Jr. (UP) and Marielle Benitez (DLSU), softball–Lovely Parohinog (Adamson) and badminton–Lloyd Escoses (FEU) and Irene Chiu (Ateneo).

The Rookies of the Year are: baseball–Francis Fuentes (UST), taekwondo–Gershon Bautista (UST) and Esther Marie Singson (UST), judo–Ryan Anthony Paglinawan (UST) and Kristine Castillo (UST), table tennis–William Ng (UST) and Louise Ann Clemente (FEU),

Chess–John Paul Gomez (DLSU) and Madelaine Abeleda (UST), swimming–Jorge Dy (DLSU) and Camille Eser (DLSU), lawn tennis–Erwin de Guzman (DLSU) and Mary Rose Celiste Panis (DLSU), volleyball–Edjet Mabbayad (FEU) and Ma. Rosario Soriano (Ateneo), basketball–Joseph Evans Casio (DLSU) and Cassandra Noel Tioseco (Ateneo),

Football–Patrick Ozaeta (Ateneo) and Gianina Yusi (DLSU), softball–Mary Joy Juanitas (DLSU), badminton–Wilmer Frias (FEU) and Theresa Sebastian (FEU), and athletics–Benigno Marayag (UST) and Marecil Maquilan (UE).