From L-R: Ian Lariba, Alyssa Valdez, Jessie Khing Lacuna and Queeny Sabobo (photo from adamson.edu.ph).
Rio-bound Ian Lariba and three others shared the Athlete of the Year award for the recently concluded UAAP Season 78.
The top athletes in the team and individual sports were announced Saturday during the season’s closing ceremonies Saturday at University of the Philippines’ Bahay ng Alumni.
Joining the Lariba of La Salle are three-time MVP Alyssa Valdez of Ateneo, reigning softball MVP Queeny Sabobo of Adamson, and swimmer Jessie Lacuna of Ateneo who earned seven gold medals with his MVP award.
Lariba, who is also last year’s Athlete of the Year, grabbed the last of 11 Asian slots for table tennis in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Valdez, for her part, was part of the national team that competed in the Southeast Asian Games, the first to participate since the 1991 bronze medal finishers.
Out of the four, only Valdez wasn’t present at the awarding as she is set to arrive from Qatar Saturday night.