NCAA, UAAP coaches to be feted in CPC awards night

Champion coaches from the NCAA and UAAP will take the spotlight as they receive well-deserved recognition at the annual Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night set on June 30.

Mapua University head coach Randy Alcantara will be given the NCAA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year for leading the Cardinals to the Season 100 men's basketball throne that ended the school's 33-year title drought.

Alcantara and the Cardinals ended the season undefeated through 12 games, including a finals series sweep of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde that allowed Mapua to clinch its first title since 1991.

Alcantara's UAAP counterpart in Goldwin Monteverde will also be recognized as UAAP Men's Basketball Coach of the Year for steering University of the Philippines to UAAP Season 87 title---their second crown in the post-pandemic era.

Monteverde and the Fighting Maroons came from behind after dropping Game 1 of the finals against top seed De La Salle University, but went on winning the next two to deny the Green Archers their back-to-back crowns.

In the women's division, Aris Dimaunahan will be honored as UAAP Women's Basketball Coach of the Year for guiding National University in reclaiming the title in UAAP Season 87 women's basketball tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs did it in dominant fashion, sweeping the elimination round before beating their tormentor last season, University of Santo Tomas, in the championship round.

Meanwhile, volleyball tacticians will be honored as well with NCAA coaches Jerry Yee and Bryan Vitug leading the honor roll together with UAAP coaches Dante Alinsunurin and Sherwin Meneses.

Yee, who played a pivotal role from the sidelines as a consultant, propelled the Lady Blazers to their fourth straight title after sweeping Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the finals while Vitug was the architect behind Arellano University's breakthrough title in the men's division.

Alinsunurin and Meneses, on the other hand, were the masterminds behind National University's supremacy in volleyball.

Meneses helped the Lady Bulldogs claim their second consecutive title in the women's side while Alinsunurin led the Bulldogs to a historic five-peat title run in the men's division.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News