La Salle tanker, softbelle, UST named UAAP best

MANILA, Philippines - A La Salle swimmer and a softball player from Adamson take center stage today as they lead the awardees as Athletes of the Year at the close of Season 74 of the UAAP at the PICC Forum in Pasay City.

Green tanker Johansen Aguilar and Lady Falcon Rizza Bernardino will be feted alongside UST, the general champion in both the juniors and seniors divisions, in the rites that starts at 1 p.m.

Taekwondo jin Joaquin Mendoza of UST also emerged the MVP in the juniors side.

Aguilar, who racked up seven gold medals, will also join seven other Athlete Scholars who will be given due recognition this season, including Ma. Theresa Piza (Adamson, women’s volleyball), Antoinette Altomonte (Ateneo, softball), Marilourd Socorro Borja (Far Eastern University, women’s basketball), Bobby Ray Parks Jr. (National University, men’s basketball), Angelo Miguel Carandag (UST, men’s swimming), Kimverly Gatpolintan (University of the East, women’s badminton) and Marion Louise de Luna (University of the Philippines, softball).

Season 74 president Ricky Palou of host Ateneo will lead the ceremonies and will turn over the UAAP flag symbolic of the general host of next season to NU’s Nilo Ocampo.

Also on tap is the second edition of the street dancing competition where De La Salle is the defending champion.

Aguilar clinched seven individual gold medals, setting a then new Philippine record in the men’s 50 meters backstroke of 27.52 seconds and two UAAP records – 100 and 200 backstoke – in Season 74 action last September at the Trace Aquatics Center Laguna. The last UAAP swimmer to win seven gold medals was Enchong Dee, also of De La Salle who is now a television personality, in 2009.

Aguilar, a consistent Dean’s Lister, later shattered the national 50m backstroke in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Palembang with a time of 27.29 seconds last November.

Bernardino, the season MVP from Sta. Cruz, Laguna, taking up Physical Education with a major in Sports Wellness Management at the San Marcelino campus, practically scooped all individual awards in Season 74 – Best Hitter, Slugger and Pitcher and Most RBI. She was the National Open’s Best Hitter and was with the Blu Girls in the World Cup of Softball as well as the Garuda Cup.

Mendoza, the high school sophomore, was quick to make an impact in UAAP juniors taekwondo. After emerging top rookie last season, he clinched MVP honors in Season 74, clinching gold in the boys’ lightweight class.