By NIKOLE JAVIER
Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA) will return to action after two years of inactivity due to Covid pandemic.
With the theme “Rise, Fly, Soar High”, the all-women league will be hosted by St. Scholastica’s College-Manila where the opening ceremony is going to be held on Jan. 28 followed by the juniors’ volleyball game between the host school and St. Jude at 1 p.m. and Assumption-Antipolo against Miriam College at 2:30 p.m.
“It is really a great blessing and privilege for us St. Scholastica’s College to be hosting the 53rd season of the WNCAA,” said Sr. Christine Pinto, OSB, SSC president during the league’s press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
“For two and a half years, they were not competing. There was no school [as everything was closed], had no trainings. Sports really has to be face-to-face, you cannot play virtually.”
All eyes are still on the pre-pandemic basketball champion Centro Escolar University, which will unpack the pressure from its side after the long hiatus of the league.
CEU will be joined by 14 other school members in host school SSC, Assumption Antipolo, Assumption College San Lorenzo, Chiang Kai Shek College, De La Salle Santiago-Zobel, La Salle College Antipolo and Miriam.
Completing the cast for this year’s return will be Philippine Women’s University, San Beda College Alabang, St. Paul College Pasig, Saint Jude Catholic School, St. Stephen’s High School, University of Asia and the Pacific and University of Makati.
Aside from basketball and volleyball, the 15-team league will also feature futsal, table tennis, badminton, taekwondo, poomsae, lawn tennis, online chess including cheerdance and streetdance competition.
