2 days ago
Clint Escamis banners top student-athletes to be feted in Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night
Another year of brilliance from the UAAP and the NCAA during the 2024-2025 athletic season will be celebrated in the 2025 Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) Awards Night.
Top student-athletes, the best coaches, and the people behind a sustained high-level of competition across the collegiate scenes will be given their due flowers on Monday at the Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas, Pasig City.
As the CPC continues to expand its elite honor roll three years after its inception, football will be recognized for the first time by a group of esteemed journalists from both print and online media.
This year's awards night will honor the stellar student-athletes of UAAP Season 87 and NCAA Season 100 with CPC Men's Basketball Player of the Year Clint Escamis of Mapua headlining a total of 26 awardees. Escamis' award is presented by GMA Network.
Escamis shone brightly as he steered the Cardinals to their first title after a long and winding 33-year wait following a sweep of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers.
Joining him is Ateneo's Kacey Dela Rosa as this year's CPC Women's Basketball Player of the Year.
Dela Rosa powered the Blue Eagles to their third straight Final Four appearance while earning her back-to-back UAAP MVP plums to become only the fifth women's basketball player to achieve the feat in the league.
With Escamis in the CPC Men's Mythical Team are NCAA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Allen Liwag of College of St. Benilde, UAAP Finals MVP JD Cagulangan of UP, and two-time UAAP Season MVP Kevin Quiambao together with La Salle teammate Mike Phillips.
Meanwhile, the second set of CPC Women's Mythical Team will include Dela Rosa, UAAP Rookie of the Year and Finals MVP Cielo Pagdulagan of NU, last year's inaugural recipient of the CPC Women's Basketball Player of the Year Kent Pastrana of UST, Louna Ozar of UP, and Elaine Etang of Adamson.
For the second time, UP's Goldwin Monteverde is the awardee of the UAAP Men's Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Fighting Maroons back to the throne while Mapua mentor Randy Alcantara is the NCAA counterpart after guiding the Cardinals to a historic title conquest the same way Monteverde has done three seasons prior.
Lastly for the top basketball tacticians, NU's Aris Dimaunahan is the UAAP Women's Basketball Coach of the Year after engineering a near-perfect redemption tour for the Lady Bulldogs which secured their eighth title in nine seasons.
Meanwhile, after four years of a decorated collegiate career, NU's Bella Bellen kissed the league goodbye with a third and final championship trophy laced with three Season MVP citations to become the UAAP Women's Volleyball Player of the Year for the third time while Leo Aringo is set to be acknowledged as the men's counterpart.
Likewise, Benilde's Zam Nolasco is the recipient of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year for her heroics in the Lady Blazers' four-peat run with equally deserving awardee Finals MVP Carl Berdal of Arellano as the men's counterpart following his efforts in the Chiefs' breakthrough title.
Longtime NU mentor Dante Alinsunurin and returning Sherwin Meneses are this year's UAAP Men's and Women's Volleyball Coaches of the Year, respectively, for keeping the school's program at the top of the chain.
Arellano's Bryan Vitug and Benilde's Jerry Yee earned the NCAA Men's and Women's Volleyball Coaches of the Year nods, respectively, for their remarkable coaching job during the centennial season.
Vitug, in only his first year at the helm has made a success out of the Chiefs 16 years since joining the league while Yee continued to bring the Lady Blazers to new heights with a four-peat accomplishment now under his tenure.
Last but not the least, the inaugural Football Players of the Year will be spearheaded by a trio of MVPs in their own divisions: FEU's Mon Diansuy and Carmela Altiche together with Amir Aningalan of San Beda to round out the awardees.
A Special Citation Award will also be granted to the NCAA following a century of excellence that has ensured there will never be a shortage of generational talents in Philippine sports.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
