JRU coaches eye better season for rookie-filled team

MANILA, Philippines – The husband-and-wife tandem of Jojo and Elmer Muros-Posadas is confident Jose Rizal University’s athletics team will have a better Season 85 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. JRU hired the coaching duo, which have produced numerous titles while handling Far Eastern University’s athletics program in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, in order to turn back the Heavy Bombers’ program. “Next year, ngayon na nakaranas na sila na lumaban at meron na rin naman kaming napatunayan, siguro mas maganda yung magiging performance namin. Di gaya ngayon na may kinakabahan pa at nawawala yung rhythm dahil sa nerbiyos (Next year, now that they have experienced competing, we might have a better performance. This year they are tense and out of their rhythm)," said Posadas, who helped coach his wife to become the Southeast Asian Games long jump queen. “Kahit hirap na hirap talaga kami, pinagtitiyagaan namin silang turuan at i-guide. Lalo ngayon na puro mga first year lang ang mga players namin, wala pa talagang mga experience kaya wala pang nagli-lead sa kanila (We worked hard in teaching and guiding them since all our players are freshmen, they don’t have the experience)," added Posadas. JRU climbed from sixth to fifth place in the recently concluded NCAA track and field competitions. They collected 258 points trailing fourth placer College of Saint Benilde by 100 points. “Malaki na talaga ang improvement compared dun sa mga nakaraan na seventh o kaya last place at talagang halos milya-milya ang agwat ng mga kalaban (The team improved a lot compared to the previous years)," said Posadas. After two years of handling the team, the Posadas’ finally ended JRU’s medal drought winning a gold and a bronze in javelin throw and high jump. A third medal, a second gold, in triple jump was stripped from the Heavy Bombers when CSB filed a protest. The NCAA management committee together with the NCAA athletics tournament director and commissioner decided to honor the protest upon seeing the tape of the JRU athlete who was not wearing his own number during the competition. – GMANews.TV