Visayas flashes depth in talent w/ 18 MOA winners

Marikina City — They may have lost the overall title of the Milo Little Olympics National Finals,  but the Bisdaks proved the reason is definitely not the lack of talents.

This after Team Visayas sent 18 players to the Most Outstanding Athletes (MOA) podium, the same number of winners from newly crowned overall champ National Capital Region (NCR) at Sunday’s close of the two-day meet  in Marikina City.

“This only goes to show that we have the talent. Maybe they just got the lucky breaks,” said Visayas delegation head Ricky Balleneros.

Luzon, which finished fourth overall has six MOA winners while third placer Mindanao has two.

TEAM VISAYAS WINNERS

Team Visayas swept the four MOA awards in Badminton with Banilad Elementary School of Mandaue’s ace smashers James Ryan Navarette and Katrina Garing ruling the elementary division and Southwestern University’s (SWU) Dexter Opalla and Hannah Tudtud sweeping the secondary titles.

The Visayas also won two MOA awards in secondary Scrabble courtesy of the University of the Visayas’s Sharland Wilmar Malazarte and Jazmin Fortunan while Kyle Ronquillo of the Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC) and Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s (SHS-AdC) Carl Miguel Villamor took home MOAs for football.

Other MOA awardees from Team Visayas were University of San Carlos’s (USC) Keith Claire Morala and Felix Shaun Balbona (elem.  chess), Inayawan Elementary School’s Lyle Kent Monte (Sipa) Mayn Yengele Coran (elem. girls taekwondo), Catmon Elementary School girls volleyball team’s Justine Therese Bragat (MVP and MOA in girls volleyball), University of Cebu’s (UC) Francis Acaso and Sherlyn Love Gabisay (MVP and MOA in table tennis) and Crystal Jade Canoos of Cebu City Central School (elem. table tennis).

Finally, Bright Academy netter Jana Pages and USC’s Gener Francis Lambayan also took home MOAs in secondary girls and elementary boys lawn tennis, respectively.

NCR AWARDEES

As expected, NCR swept all four MOA awards in athletics after thrashing the competition at the Marikina Sports Park.

Jan Mell Francis Gervacio and Lea Solis bagged the MOA in the elementary division while John Rey Moreno and Marylyn Avila took home the secondary MOA awards.

NCR also collected four MOAs in Gymnastics with John Ivan Cruz and Micha Perol winning the elementary titles and Martoni Abana and Arielle Nicole Orella bagging the secondary plums.

In elementary chess, Cherry Lyn Donguines won the MOA for NCR while Aaron Matias and Janmel Alfache took home the awards for Scrabble. Kian Patrick Bolado was the lone MOA awardee for NCR in table tennis with the other three going to Visayas.

Other MOA awardees from NCR were Ralp Juliane (HS lawn tennis), John Davis Maglasang (sepak takraw), Isiah Kong (HS boys swimming), Catherine Bondad (HS girls swimming), Reuel Asia and Desiree Wynea Cheng (volleyball).

Luzon’s awardees were Gwyneth Amber Cawaling (elem. girls swimming), Mark Artemius Paderon (secondary boys swimming), Symon Clyde Andaya (elem. boys taekwondo), Keno Anthony Mendoza (secondary boys taekwondo), Suzanne Glehn Caslangen (secondary girls taekwondo) and Lorence Cruz (elem. volleyball boys).

Mindanao’s winners were Adrian Othniel Yulo (elem. boys chess) and Gennefer Pagente (elem. girls lawn tennis).

NCR won this year’s overall title with 614 points edging out the four-peat seeking Visayas which has 575 points. Mindanao placed third with 383.5 points while Luzon finished fourth with 357.5 points.

Last year in Linggayen, Pangasinan, Visayas has 19 MOA awardees while NCR has 17.