By: Carl Argarin
Photo grabbed from Colegio de San Juan de Letran's Facebook page.
In preparation for their NCAA Season 94 campaign, the Letran track and field bagged five medals and a runner up finish in the seniors male division of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) weekly relay which was held from July 7 to November 4, 2018 at the PhilSports Ultra.
The PATAFA stint saw stellar performances from athletes Russel Galleon, Alexander Galbo, John Lester Vidal, and Glenn Sapar.
The four garnered a gold medal in the classical relay while Galleon, who broke the NCAA record for the 200 meters dash last year, clinched gold medals in the 400 meters hurdle, 400 meters dash, and 200 meters dash to go along with his bronze medal in the 800 meters dash.
Letran track and field captain Khristopher Mejia stated that their win is a step towards proving the NCAA that they can compete with the very best despite their lack of runners.
"Yung pagkapanalo po namin sa PATAFA ay isang hakbang na kaya po namin makipagsabayan sa ibang eskuwelahan kahit na kakaunti kami," he said.
Mejia also bared that their runner up finish in PATAFA will serve as an inspiration for their upcoming NCAA stint.
"Ang pagkapanalo po naming ito ay magbibigay ng motivation po samin para sa darating na NCAA sa March po," said Mejia in an interview with The LANCE.
"Sa tingin ko po mas maiiangat po 'yung confidence po namin, juniors and seniors, na sumabak sa NCAA kasi hindi naging biro po yung mga preparation po namin physically and mentally," he added.
The Letran track and field team will be hitting the oval on March 4, 2019.