For steering the ships for their respective squads, seven of the country's top coaches will be honored when the Collegiate Press Corps holds its annual Awards Night on June 17 at the Discovery Suites.
The CPC added five awards on top of the two regular honors being given yearly to the tacticians who led their teams to championships in both leagues.
Yuri Escueta and Topex Robinson will be handed the staple NCAA and UAAP Basketball Coach of the Year plum, respectively, for guiding the San Beda University Red Lions and the De La Salle University Green Archers to the summit of men's basketball divisions.
Meanwhile, Haydee Ong will make history after being named the first-ever UAAP Women's Basketball Coach of the Year for sending the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses to their first title in 17 years after unseating the National University Lady Bulldogs from their seven-year reign.
Volleyball coaches will also be recognized with Jerry Yee and Sammy Acaylar receiving the NCAA Women's and Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year plums each for helping De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and University of Perpetual Help System DALTA strengthen their respective dynasties in the league.
Yee and the Lady Blazers completed a rare three-peat by sweeping a youthful Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the finals while the ALTAs also blanked Emilio Aguinaldo College in the championship series to capture their fourth straight crown.
Their counterparts in Norman Miguel and Dante Alinsunurin of National University will be hailed as the UAAP Women's and Men's Volleyball Coaches of the Year for similar impressive title runs.
Miguel towed the Lady Bulldogs past a pesky UST side in the finals to reclaim the crown they lost the season prior, while Alinsunurin and the Bulldogs squeaked past UST to rule the men's division.
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News
