Sambile, Fronda are UAAP best

MANILA, Philippines - For making all the right moves on the chess board and on the hard court, Women National Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda of La Salle and basketball ace Camille Sambile earned the nod of the UAAP as its co-Athlete of the Year for the highly successful Season 76.

Fronda and Sambile left their marks not only in the premier collegiate league but also in the international scene, where their solid performances helped bring honors to the country.

An AB Sports Studies student who steered La Salle to a four-peat, the 20-year-old Fronda donned the Phl colors in the 2013 World Junior Chess Championship in Kocaeli, Turkey and placed 28th. She was also part of the silver-winning U-20 team in the Under-20 division of last year’s Asean Age Group Chess Championships in Thailand.

For her part, Hotel and Restaurant Management senior Sambile brought her act to the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar after romping off with the UAAP MVP plum. Sambile even fired a team high 22 points in Perlas Pilipinas’ 80-31 rout of host Myanmar that clinched the silver medal for Phl in the single round-robin tournament.

The two, as well as juniors division AOY winner Divine Romero of University of the East, enjoyed their moment of triumph during yesterday’s UAAP closing rites at Century Park Hotel.

The AoY is the top award given to the athletes by the league. In the previous seasons, the UAAP had awarded separate AoY plums in the men’s and women’s division.

Fronda and Sambile beat other MVPs from the 28 different sports for the plum, including high-profile Ateneo star Alyssa Valdez of newly-minted women’s volleyball queens Ateneo, who was seeking to become the first to win the plum in both the juniors and seniors divisions.

The achievers of 2013-14 soaked in the limelight during the two-hour ceremonies.

De La Salle had its shining moment as the top member university in seniors play, receiving its second straight general championship trophy. Incoming host UE basked in the glory of winning the overall title in the juniors hostilities.

Also having their day were athlete-scholars led by volleyball stars Abi Maraño of De La Salle and Kathy Bersola of UP, FEU football’s Dexter Chio, NU tennis’s Fritz Verdad, Adamson University softball’s Elvie Entrina, UST taekwondo’s Jane Narra, Ateneo swimming’s Axel Ngui and Romero.

Fr. Max Rendon of Adamson formally handed the UAAP colors to Carmelita Mateo of UE, signaling the end of Season 76 and the transfer of hosting for Season 77.