Sports

WNCAA’s 55th Season of Empowering Women Athletes

By Rae Antonette Loise D. Ballesteros | September 12, 2024

ONE step closer to the official beginning of the Women National Collegiate Athletics Association (WNCAA) Season 55, a Press Conference was held at Assumption Antipolo on Sept. 11 with the theme, “Championing and Empowering Women in Sports.” 

A Sneak Peek on the 55th Season

     Ms. Maria Vivian P. Manila, the WNCAA’s Chairperson, laid out the events the board has prepared for this season. The student-athletes will compete in 13 events: basketball, volleyball, futsal, cheerleading, cheer dance, street dance, badminton, table tennis, lawn tennis, swimming, taekwondo, poomsae, and chess. 

     16 schools will participate and compete for a place on the podium for this season, including the return of the University of Makati (UMak) and UST Angelicum College (AC).

     The sports events will be held in different schools—basketball at Chiang Kai Shek College (CKSC), volleyball at Assumption Antipolo and St. Scholastica’s College, futsal at San Beda College Alabang (SBCA) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), and the rest of the events at SBCA. Moreover, the games will be scheduled on weekends because, as Ms. Manila said, “We prefer our student-athletes to be academically good.” 

     With great pride and honor, Ms. Marie Grace Magtaas, Assumption Antipolo’s director, delivered her opening remarks as the host school for the 55th season. As someone relatively new to WNCAA, the institution had many apprehensions about what preparations they must make. She also mentioned that hosting some events became one of their significant challenges because they “do not have a facility big enough to accommodate all those who want to watch different sporting events.” However, they are still confident in hosting this year’s WNCAA because of the board members and others who will help them throughout the season. 

Women's Empowerment in Sports

     Ms. Magtaas said, “Our theme, Championing and Empowering Women in Sports, is very close to our hearts, and I know it is also for all of you.” The success of Bianca Pagdanganan, a Filipino golfer who recently finished fourth in the 2024 Olympics and an alumna of the Assumption Antipolo, inspired young women in sports nationwide—which the theme wants to convey. This year’s theme aims to create an inclusive environment where women athletes can excel in their respective sports and empower others. 

     “WNCAA has been instrumental in having athletes who have joined our national teams and even representing our country in international tournaments,” Ms. Manila added. As the country’s first and only tri-level league for women, the WNCAA has been the home of many known athletes today, such as Janine Pontejos in basketball, Angelei Jingco in volleyball, and those who are currently competing in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and NCAA. 

     This year, the WNCAA also gives the students a chance to showcase their talents in writing and photography starting on Sept. 14. The competition will consist of two categories: the Amateurs or students of the member schools and the Professionals partnered by media agencies. It will be open for all the sports events until the closing ceremony. 

     Ms. Magtaas presided over the Board of Trustees in the Renewal of Oath, which concluded the press conference and marked the nearing opening of a new season full of excitement, determination, and outstanding sportsmanship to be held at Assumption Antipolo on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m.