CALOOCAN CITY, PHILIPPINES, Manila Central University (MCU) spotlit its growing athletics program at the Universities and Colleges Athletic League (UCAL) Season 9 Press Launch last September 14, 2026.
In its fourth year of league membership, MCU is joining eight other members of the league in showcasing student athletic excellence, camaraderie, and sportsmanship under the banner “Unstoppable Together”. This year’s season is an opportunity for the university to showcase its new roster of student-athletes, cultivated by an improved student athletics program and supported by its administration’s growing focus on sports as an avenue for student development.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Renato C. Tanchoco, Jr., President of MCU, underscored the impact of school investments in athletics to the holistic development of students and the quality of performance in the sports industry.
“MCU has taken great strides in developing an athletics program that sets students up for success on the court, in the classroom, and in life. Just in the earlier years of our athletics program, we have nurtured student athletes towards professional excellence, two of which have become professional basketball players and many of which have shown promising performance in the first year of the program,” Dr. Tanchoco said.
“Sports is ceasing to become an afterthought, and emerging as a focal point of student development. MCU is ready to provide that through investments in school infrastructure, expansion of the athletics program to now include seven (7) main sports, and a values-oriented coaching program anchored in safety and development,” Dr. Tanchoco added.
Meanwhile, Javier Lopez-Sanz Chulvi, MCU Strategic Advisor for Athletics, shared his excitement for the upcoming gameplays of the student athletes of MCU at UCAL Season 9, underscoring their performance as an embodiment of the university’s specialized approach to student athletics.
“The MCU Supremos are here to win. We are here to win at the courts, and in life. We have upgraded our facilities, improved our training program, and built strong coordination between academics and sports to help our student-athletes succeed in any field they wish to pursue,” Lopez-Sanz Chulvi said.
MCU has been expanding its involvement and engagement in the sports, highlighting its philosophy that student athletics is an integral part of student life. While the university is amongst the youngest members in the league, it has been climbing up the leaderboards and raising rising stars in the field of student athletics. This year’s banner “Unstoppable Together”, mirrors the belief of MCU that it takes a school and its community to raise a new trailblazing generation of student-athletes.
