Collegiate scribes honor top stars Thirdy, Sisi

He may be taking a similar route, but Thirdy Ravena knows he’s got a long way to go when it comes to surpassing older brother Kiefer’s accomplishments.

Five years after Kiefer won the award, Thirdy was honored as player of the year during the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps Awards night presented by Sports Vision on Monday at Amelie Hotel-Manila.

“He’s (Kiefer) still better than me,” said Thirdy, whose incredible mix of athleticism, strength and skill proved key as Ateneo collected a second straight UAAP title last September. “He still beats me at one-on-one games. But, of course, he continues to be one of my inspirations.”

“It’s a great feeling to be recognized, especially for an award like this,” added Ravena, who will be looking to lead the Blue Eagles to a third straight title this season.

“But in all honesty, I owe this all to my teammates. Of course, also the hardworking coaching staff of our team. We’ve come this far because of them.”

Ravena joins the elite company of Mac Belo, Jeron Teng, Ben Mbala and Robert Bolick as winners of the award.

“I also dedicate this award to my family, my friends, and those who have supported us in this journey. Honestly, I’m so surprised. I’m still in shock,” said the second-generation star.

Sharing the spotlight with Ravena was University of Santo Tomas volleyball star Sisi Rondina, who, along with Arellano’s Regine Arocha, received the Sportsvision Volleyball Player of the Year award.

Ravena also headlined the All-Collegiate Team together with Bolick, Perpetual’s Prince Eze, and the University of the Philippines pair of Bright Akhuetie and Paul Desiderio.

The Award of Excellence went to the National U Lady Bulldogs for their rare five-peat, including a record 80 wins in a row. UP earned a Special Citation for its inspiring run to the UAAP Finals.

Coaches Boyet Fernandez of San Beda and Tab Baldwin of Ateneo were named coaches of the year.