THE UST Junior Tracksters bolstered NCR’s 17th consecutive Palarong Pambansa title win by securing four gold and three silver medals in the athletics tournament held at the Cebu City Sports Center from July 11 to 15.
Junior Female Tracksters Lea Ordinario, Iza Pangilinan, Ashley Tabad, and Jamaica Saligan secured the gold medal in the secondary girls’ 4×100-meter relay with a time of 48.82 seconds.
Ordinario also earned a gold medal by winning the 200-meter run, completing it in 26.28 seconds.
In the 4×400-meter relay, Ordinario, Pangilinan, and Saligan teamed up with Jeralyn Rodriguez from Lydia Aguilar National High School to win the event with a time of 3:54.35.
Pangilinan narrowly defeated Caraga’s Jacinto Elpa in the 100-meter dash, clocking 12.72 seconds to take silver. Ordinario added another silver with a time of 58.17 seconds in the girls’ 400-meter run.
“I’m quite satisfied sa overall performance ng ating girls team since they were competing against the best in the national level,” Junior Female Tracksters head coach Manny Calipes told the Varsitarian.
Calipes said this year’s Palarong Pambansa highlighted UST’s high school track and field program, though it had its challenges.
“Our athletic program is getting noticed by other regions but we are also facing the same recruitment problems just like in other sports,” he said. “Even our own athletes are getting offers and athletes we recruited and committed to UST have transferred allegiance to other schools.”
In the boys’ division, Junior Male Trackster Gabriel Cervantes broke the high school record in the 2000-meter walk, recording 8:53.89.
However, the record, set by Francis Gabriel from the Ilocos Region in 2018 (9:33.01), was invalidated because the Cebu City Sports Center’s track was 1.5 meters short of the mandatory 400-meter World Athletics standard.
Francis Sillar added to NCR’s medal count with a silver in the secondary boys’ pole vault, clearing 3.80 meters and winning silver via countback.
UST head coach Emerson Obiena expressed satisfaction with the Junior Male Tracksters’ performance in the Palaro.
“Overall very good…twoout of three ang medal output natin—one gold, one silver. Not bad,” Obiena told the Varsitarian.
However, Obiena emphasized that UST’s high school athletics program needs more work, including increasing the coaching staff.
“There are 22 events in boys track and field and each athlete needs the attention of a coach. That’s the challenge we have to overcome,” he said. “An additional helping hand will be very beneficial.”
UST’s Sean Harry Narag, Mejen Sombongan, Harvey Villasan, and Rafael Ballelos will make their collegiate debut in Season 87, while incoming freshmen Rashied Burdeos, Francine Andrade, Aira Gacusan, and Lyka Miravales will join the Female Trackers.
