SPRINTERS Veruel Verdadero, Jessel Lumapas and Eliza Cuyom will soon see action for National University in the next two seasons of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
The three broke meet records in the recent Palarong Pambansa, with Verdadero and Cuyom surpassing the national junior marks in the secondary boys’ 100-meter dash and the secondary girls’ 100-meter hurdles, respectively.
On the other hand, Lumapas smashed a seven-year-old course record in the secondary girls’ 400-meter run.
Their coach Fernando Dagasdas said the three are being recruited by Hans Sy of the SM Group of Companies, which owns NU, some two weeks after they saw action for Region IV-A in the 2018 Palarong Pambansa in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
“Nag-commit na ang mga bata. Pumayag na ang kanilang supporter na si (Dasmarinas, Cavite) Mayor Elpidio Barzaga Jr. dahil mabuti na ito para kanila at magpo-focus din ang mga bata sa pag-aaral,” said Dagasdas.
Verdadero, who still has a school-year left with Emilio Aguinaldo College, will join NU’s collegiate squad in 2019.
Lumapas and Cuyom are set to join in the coming school-year.
Cuyom made an impression when she went below the 15-second mark set by Julie Rose Forbes during the 2000 National Open, with her clocking of 14.5 seconds.
In doing so, she erased the meet record of 14.9 seconds set by Michelle Pastasaja of Western Mindanao in 1996. Peter Atencio
Verdadero’s clocking of 10.55 seconds eclipsed the national junior mark of 10.6 seconds that Julio Bayaban set in the 1979 National Open. It also bettered the 10.75-second performance of Feberoy Kasi of Southern Mindanao Region. Peter Atencio
