CELEBRATING ATHLETIC achievements, The GUIDON and the Office of College Athletics marked the end of another eventful Ateneo sporting year with the 2025 Ateneo Athletes’ Night Awards (AANA) held last May 24 at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater. A few hours later, the University then lit up the Blue Eagle Bonfire at the Ateneo Grade School Parking Lot.

Ateneo Athletes’ Night Awards

Kicking off the evening’s festivities, the AANA recognized the Women’s Golf, Women’s 3×3 Basketball, Women’s and Men’s Swimming, Esports NBA 2K, and the Women’s Blitz Chess Teams for winning the championship in their respective events.

In his opening remarks, Vice President for Mission Integration Benjamin Tolosa, Jr., PhD commended the student-athletes’ resilience in battling both the physical and mental demands of their respective sports. Tolosa emphasized that their athletic growth is in alignment with the University’s mission of providing holistic education to its students.

The awarding began with Monica Eusebio being named as the GetBlued Student-Manager of the Year for her sheer work and exemplary contributions to the Ateneo Men’s Football Team, making her an essential asset in driving the squad’s success on and off the pitch. Rookie Mateo Lacson served as Eusebio’s representative in claiming the award.

Meanwhile, the Comeback of the Year Award was conferred to the Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team after showcasing their championship mettle in a gutsy semi-final come-from-behind victory versus the National University Bulldogs.

For embodying the same standard of determination, Dov Cariño was hailed “Breakout Athlete of the Year” after nabbing the Golden Boot and Best Midfielder awards in his return to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) tournament.

In a video tribute, the AANA also honored this year’s Rookie of the Year winners in each sport, commemorating their exceptional performances in the recently concluded athletic year.

The next set of accolades commenced with the Rebisco Makabayan of the Year Award, which was given to Mika De Guzman of the Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team. De Guzman gained recognition following her successful international stints in the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships and 2024 Bahrain International Series. Her teammate Althea Ocampo received the award in her absence.

The Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team’s second-round slugfest against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers was then lauded as The Game of the Year. In the thrilling match, the Blue Eagles narrowly escaped the España-based squad after a brilliant display of defensive intensity in the clutch.

Meanwhile, the Performance of the Year was awarded to Kennedy Batas of the Ateneo Men’s Volleyball Team after his dominant run in UAAP Season 87. Batas bagged this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Outside Hitter honors.

Legendary Ateneo athlete-alumni—namely SJ Belangel, Jarvey Gayoso, Jia Kawachi, and Jia De Guzman—then imparted congratulatory messages to this year’s student-athletes in a special video. Ateneo Team MVPs for the 2024–25 season were also honored for their remarkable feats in a similar video tribute.

Following this, The GUIDON Sports Editors Luis Antonio Licas and Ralph Anthony Bautista respectively presented the 2025 Female and Male Blue Eagle of the Year as the final awards of the event.

In a legacy-cementing season, Kacey Dela Rosa was awarded the Arthaland Female Blue Eagle of the Year. The superstar had a memorable Season 87 stint, where she secured her second consecutive Women’s 5×5 MVP plum and took the Women’s 3×3 MVP honors after powering the Women’s 3×3 Team to their first-ever championship.

Also exemplifying athletic eminence, Miguel Barreto was named the Arthaland Male Blue Eagle of the Year after capturing a distinguished set of accolades in Season 87. The Blue Eagle produced a season for the ages by winning the Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, as he led the Men’s Swimming Team to their ninth-straight championship.

University President Roberto C. Yap, SJ concluded the annual awards night in a closing address, recognizing each student-athlete’s efforts in representing the Ateneo community.

Ateneo-wide Bonfire

Following the conclusion of the Athletes’ Night ceremony and the program’s accompanying dinner, this year’s edition of the Bonfire opened with a prayer led by Fr. Kit Bautista, SJ.

Delivering his welcoming remarks for the event, Yap highlighted Ateneo’s tight-knit community forged by events such as sports. He also expressed his gratitude to the athletes and coaches for embodying the One Big Fight mantra.

Hosts Joshua Pangan and Marit Samson then spotlighted the Blue and White’s multitude of achievements throughout Season 87. Starting off the list for the individual awardees, Dela Rosa and Sarah Makanjuola were recognized for their Mythical Five selections in the Women’s Basketball tournament. The Men’s and Women’s Chess Teams were also honored for their myriad of individual medals in the Standard, Rapid, and Blitz UAAP tournaments.

The next set of individual awardees continued with the Men’s and Women’s Fencing Teams, where Andre Agatep and Kaikaku Dela Serna were commended for their respective podium finishes. The Men’s and Women’s Judo Teams were likewise acknowledged, highlighted by Maxine Mababangloob’s gold and Juliana San Ramon’s silver medals.

In the third leg of the individual honors, Men’s and Women’s Taekwondo Team members Carl Williams and James Macasaet were honored for their respective bronze placements. Track and Field stalwarts Russel Ricaforte and Hassan Loraña were also lauded for their gold finishes in the Discus Throw and the 800m events, respectively, with Ricaforte also garnering recognition with his record-breaking performance.

Batas and Amil Pacinio completed the list of recognized collegiate Atenean athletes for their respective selections as the Best Outside Spiker and Best Opposite Spiker in the UAAP Men’s Volleyball tournament, with the former also being acknowledged for taking home season MVP honors.

The bonfire’s program also recognized the podium-winning Ateneo squads, starting with the VALORANT Team’s back-to-back bronze medal finishes. Also called to the stage were the silver medalists, which include the Women’s Rapid Chess, Men’s Table Tennis, Men’s Football, and both Men’s and Women’s Badminton Teams.

Following an intermission performance by the Blue Babble Battalion, the Women’s Blitz Chess, Women’s 3×3 Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Swimming, and the NBA 2K Teams were lauded for reaching the summit in their respective campaigns.

The festivities then reached its signature moment with the lighting of the bonfire, followed by a rousing rendition of the Song for Mary by the Ateneo community. The night concluded with a colorful fireworks display, marking a fitting end to the first century of organized Ateneo sports and a hopeful start to another.