PSA honors unbeaten Lady Bulldogs with President’s Award

The National University Lady Bulldogs set a new standard for excellence last year after winning their 80th straight game on the way to retaining the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s basketball crown.

Coached by Pat Aquino and bannered by Finals Most Valuable Player and national team player Jack Animam, the Sampaloc-based school rewrote history by extending their unbeaten streak and claiming a fifth straight championship in UAAP Season 81.

The previous unbeaten UAAP record was held by the Adamson women’s softball team at 73 wins.

Incidentally, Ria Nabalan and Jhianne Layug were the only members of the team who were part of all the Lady Bulldogs’ five championships.

The remarkable feat earned the Lady Bulldogs the President’s Award in the SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards Night at The Manila Hotel on Feb. 26.

“Theirs is an inspiring story of what individual talent coupled with the right chemistry can do,” said PSA president Eduardo “Dodo” Catacutan of SPIN.ph. “The NU Lady Bulldogs certainly deserve this accolade, which comes at a time when the PSA also recognizes five young ladies as co-winners of the Athlete of the Year award.”

The quartet of Hidilyn Diaz, Margielyn Didal and golfers Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go will be the recipient of the highest honor given out by the country’s oldest media organization during the gala night backed by Milo, Philippine Sports Commission, Cignal TV, Philippine Basketball Association, Mighty Sports, ICTSI and SM Prime.