Bella Belen and Leo Aringo were among the Collegiate Press Corp's Players of the Year following their championship-winning final seasons with the National University.
Clint Escamis and Bella Belen stood tallest among their peers, headlining the 2025 San Miguel Corporation-Collegiate Press Corps (SMC-CPC) Awards Night as Players of the Year in basketball and volleyball, respectively, on Monday, June 30, at Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas, Pasig.
Escamis, who powered Mapua University to its first NCAA men’s basketball title in 33 years, was named Collegiate Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.
The do-it-all guard made good on his promise to bring Mapua back to the top. After earning Rookie-MVP honors in NCAA Season 99, he averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.0 steals in the Cardinals’ Season 100 title sweep of College of St. Benilde.
“Sobrang sarap talaga kasi knowing na nakuha ko yung MVP last year, pero talo kami. Sobrang sakit kasi somehow medyo ako lang yung masaya. Pero this year, okay lang kahit wala akong individual awards… gusto ko muna team first talaga,” said Escamis.
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Belen, meanwhile, continued her legacy with National University, capturing the UAAP Women's Volleyball Player of the Year plum after steering the Lady Bulldogs to back-to-back championships.
For Belen, the honor capped a dominant collegiate career decorated with three UAAP Season MVPs and eight championship titles across both the high school and college levels.
The Alas Pilipinas standout exited the UAAP as one of the most accomplished volleyball players in league history before being selected No. 1 overall by the Capital1 Solar Spikers in the 2025 PVL Draft.
Joining her on the taraflex roll call was NU’s Leo Aringo, the UAAP Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year.
The graduating team captain delivered a fitting swan song by leading the Bulldogs to a fifth straight crown and bagging the Finals MVP honors in the process. Aringo has since taken his talents overseas, now representing the Philippines in Japan.
[ALSO READ: Leo Aringo signs with Japan’s Saitama Azalea after historic five-peat with NU]
They are part of the 10 Players of the Year recognized across basketball, volleyball, and for the first time, football in the third edition of the CPC Awards presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Pilipinas Live, and GMA.
On the women’s side in basketball, Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa was named Collegiate Women’s Basketball Player of the Year after leading the league in nearly every major statistical category, including 22.1 points and 16.0 rebounds per game, despite the Blue Eagles bowing out in the Final Four.
[ALSO READ: Kacey Dela Rosa, Cielo Pagdulagan lead women’s hoops nods at Collegiate Press Corps Awards]
Rounding out the volleyball awardees were NCAA standouts Carl Berdal of Arellano University, who led the Chiefs to their first men’s volleyball title, and Zam Nolasco of College of St. Benilde, who anchored the Lady Blazers’ four-peat championship run as Best Middle Blocker.
They ruled their respective leagues—and now, they reign supreme across the collegiate sporting landscape.