A Grade 11 senior high and a second year criminology students were the first gold medalists for the Cordilleras in the Private Schools Athletic Association in Zamboanga City Friday.
Angel May Saysay, 18, clocked 11 minutes and 28 seconds to rule the 3,000 meter run for woman, even as the 21 year old Charlie Ferrer leaped to the gold after a 6.74 meter effort in men’s long jump.
Saysay is taking a track in humanities and social sciences, while Ferrer is a second year college student, said coach Jonel Sakiban who is with w3 other athletics players.
Meanwhile, the King’s College of the Philippines will see its 18 student athletes compete in beach volleyball and weighlifting.
The Baguio College of Technology lady volleyball team, the defending champion in the Baguio Benguet Educational Athletic League started their bid Friday when they faced their rival from the Bicol region.
Some 18 students of the youngest member of the Baguio Benguet Educational Athletic Association, KCP, made their debut in the biggest sporting event for private college schools Thursday.
The 18 athletes from the King’s College of the Philippines will see action in two events and in two age categories in the Private School Athletic Association which is the hometown of Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner Hidelyn Diaz.
“We will have teams in the youth and senior events,” said KCP sports director Danilo Edwardo as he and the 18 athletes flew to Zamboanga City earlier this week for the sports meet that started on the 13th and will be finished on the 19th of this month.
Seven of the players will see action in beach volleyball, both seniors and youth, and 11 are entered in weightlifting, said the Cordillera Volleyball Federation vice president as his athletes start their bid in the annual competition.
The KCP athletes join their counterparts from the University of Baguio even as the University of the Cordilleras skipped this year’s edition.
“I won’t be able to join our athletes thus the school decided not to send any athletes,” said UC athletic director Danilo Cong-o, president of the CVF.
“My bosses want me to chaperon our athletes but if I can’t go, so are the athletes,” said Cong-o who will be in Laoag, Ilocos Norte on July 18 to 20 to officiating volleyball in the cluster elimination for Regions 1, 2 and 3 and the Cordilleras whose top two teams will advance to the Palarong Pambansa later this year.
“So I won’t be able to join our athletes as chair of volleyball officiating,” said the incoming coach of the UC Baby Lady Jaguars, whose mentor, Sherry Anne Floresca, is about to leave for the United States.
The UB delegates is led by acting athletic director Jonel Sakiban, coach of the school’s table tennis team. Pigeon Lobien