MANILA – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and 18 personalities and entities will be honored in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night on Jan. 27 at the Centennial Hall of The Manila Hotel.

The country’s Grand Old League will receive a special award for reaching its 100th season while the dragon boat national team, Philippine Volcanoes, weightlifter Angeline Colonia, jiu jitsu bet Isabella Joseline Butler, powerlifter Regie Ramirez, and volleyball grand slam winner Creamline will be cited in the star-studded affair.

Gymnast Carlos Yulo leads the 2024 honor roll as Athlete of the Year for winning two gold medals in the Paris Olympics.

Johann Chua and Albert James Manas (billiards), Carl Eldrew Yulo (gymnastics), Ruelle Canino (chess), Kheith Rhynne Cruz (table tennis), Marc Dylan Custodio (bowling), Mark John Lexer Galedo (cycling), Lovely Inan (weightlifting), Philippine baseball team, Centennial 7 (sailing), Jessa Mae Tabuan (powerlifting), and Ramon Suzara (volleyball) will also get citations.

The Filipinos topped the International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championship in Puerto Princesa, Palawan while the Volcanoes ruled the men’s and women’s divisions in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy in Nepal.

Colonia bagged two gold medals in the 45kg class of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Junior Championships in Spain; Butler ruled the minus 57kg class in the U18 category of the JJIF World Championships in Heraklion Greece; Ramirez won in the World Open Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Iceland; and Tabuan dominated the World Juniors Powerlifting Championships in Malta.

Creamline swept all three tournaments of the Premier Volleyball League, while Carl Yulo collected gold medals in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Uzbekistan, the Pacific Rim Championship in Cali, Colombia, and Hong Kong Invitational.

Canino ruled the National Women’s Championship and helped Team Philippines get the Group B gold medal in the Budapest Chess Olympiad; Inan secured gold medals in the IWF World Juniors Championships in Spain; and Cruz won the U19 girls’ singles title in the WTT Youth Contender Westchester in New York and swept all medal classifications from different events in the US Table Tennis Open in Las Vegas.

Chua dominated the Hanoi Open 9-Ball Championship and played a key role in Team Asia beating Team Europe for the inaugural Reyes Cup, while Manas ruled 99 Billiards Club Tournament. Both tournaments were held in Vietnam.

Custodio won the 10th DIBC-Delta Open Bowling Tournament in Dubai and was a major part of Team Philippines’ triumph in the team-of-four event in the Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Galedo claimed the Tour of Guam title; the Philippines scored a five-peat in the East Asia Baseball Cup in Clark, Pampanga; Suzara was elected president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and appointed as executive vice president of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball; and Centennial 7 became the first Philippine boat and a first all-Filipino crew to compete in the prestigious Sydney to Hobart yacht race. (PNA)