WNCAA enters golden year

WNCAA officials show off their water tumblers, the league’s way of supporting the environmental campaign of banning single-use plastics.

Centro Escolar University kicks off its bid for a ninth straight senior basketball title in the Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA) which unveils its golden year on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

CEU will face University of Makati at 2 p.m. while San Beda College Alabang and University of Asia & the Pacific collide at 3:30 p.m., the inaugural senior basketball games of Season 50.

After the 10:30 opening ceremony which will have Manila Mayor Isko Moreno as guest of honor, CEU will get a chance to become the season’s first titlist when it defends its senior hip hop dance crown while Miriam tries to repeat in the juniors level.

Poveda and Angelicum-University of Santo Tomas are on leave but the league welcomed Assumption Antipolo as the 15th active member this season.

Other participating schools in Season 50, aptly themed “Destined for Greatness” and co-hosted by all members, are St. Paul College Pasig, Philippine Women’s University, De La Salle Zobel, Assumption College San Lorenzo, Chiang Kai Shek College, La Salle College Antipolo, St. Scholastica’s College, St. Stephen’s High School and St. Jude Catholic School.

Aside from basketball and hip hop dance, they will also vie for titles in volleyball, cheerdance (midgets), cheerleading (seniors and juniors), badminton, futsal, taekwondo (poomsae and kyorugi), softball, swimming, lawn tennis and table tennis.

“The WNCAA is the real grassroots tournament because our players go on to play in national teams and other bigger leagues,” said WNCAA executive director Ma. Vivian Manila during Wednesday’s Season 50 launch at Aristocrat Malate in Manila.

Philippine Sports Commissioner Celia Kiram also lauded the WNCAA, to be led this year by president Yolanda Co of CKSC, for uplifting women athletes.

“Women power is on full display here and WNCAA athletes continue to bring honors in all fronts,” said Kiram

Volleyball matches begin Sunday while futsal commences on 29 September. The rest of the events in the country’s first and only tri-level league for women will be played starting January 2020.