When the country’s oldest collegiate league opens its 97th season, it won’t just be the student-athletes raising their game in preparation for the highly-anticipated return of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Another group of talented students, former athletes, and outstanding individuals are ready to take on the challenge to bring the NCAA to even greater heights.
Meet our NCAA Season 97 Courtside Reporters.
13 individuals will banner this season's crop of reporters, who will be tasked to bring the viewers closer to the happenings on the court and off of it.
Chase Orozco and Aya De Quiroz, who were NCAA Courtside Reporters back in Season 94, will be returning to the sidelines for the upcoming season. Baileys Acot, who also has experience from courtside, will be part of this season’s cast as well.
Christiana Dimaunahan, a basketball player and daughter of former pro and coach Aris Dimaunahan, will be joining them alongside another fellow athlete in swimmer Avia Zunic.
Also part of the team are Medical Technology student Christian ‘Seb’ Sebastian, commercial model Lance Santiago, events host Sof Rodelas, law student Ann Gabriel, former indie music label manager Michelle Naldo, flight attendant Eden Hernandez, sports fanatic Cha Laude, and events host Chloe Carillo.
"Nakakatuwa kasi ngayon lang kami nagkita-kita lahat pero parang grabe na kami mag-chikahan. Parang dati na kaming friends," Dimaunahan shared to GMA News Online.
"And it's a relief for me because I'm kind of an introvert outside of this and it only takes the right people para mailabas 'yung confidence ko and I'm very blessed na these people are the ones I ended up working with kasi sobrang light nila kasama and alam ko na totoo sila."
Sebastian, a 21-year-old from Nueva Ecija, shared the same sentiment as Dimaunahan: "Sa katunayan po maganda 'yung naging chemistry namin. Hindi naman ako nahirapan mag-adjust with these people kasi mabubuti naman sila and madali silang makausap."
The group has already been through some shared experiences, undergoing a grueling selection process and heavy training from GMA’s expert sport commentators Martin Javier and Anton Roxas together.
GMA Synergy has ensured that the reporters are all camera-ready for their NCAA 97 debuts.
See more of them on Game On! beginning March 20, 10:30AM on GTV and on the NCAA Season 97 Opening Ceremonies on March 26, 2:30PM, via GMA and simulcast on GTV, and NCAA Season 97 Live Games on GTV.
—JMB, GMA News
