By Daniel P. Tapaoan, Jr. 

Greatness in sports and cultural arts continues at Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) as it kicked off the much-awaited University Games 2022. 

After a three-year halt, action-ready student-athletes and artists filled the once empty MMSU Sports Complex for the university sports, culture and arts festival starting yesterday, October 3. 

Gathering thousands of contenders from the 11 colleges, MMSU is selecting its best Stallion battalions for the regional State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) meet. 

“This year’s edition of the Unigames is extra special because we waited three years to come together again. Thankfully, we are meeting again and aiming to go higher, faster, and stronger,” enthused MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis during the event’s opening program. 

She said while MMSU is basking in its glorious record as the longest-running overall champion in SCUAA-1 for 17 consecutive years, “we need to set foot in bigger stages of sports and cultural supremacy.”

“We should not only be content as a 17-time overall regional champion. It’s high time that we should select our best athletes who may be joining at the Southeast Asian games soon,” she expressed. “This is the reason why we continuously build and improve our sports and cultural facilities,” she added. 

President Agrupis expressed gratitude to the MMSU Center for Human Movement Studies, the Office for Student Affairs and Services, the University Student Council, college student leaders, coaches, trainers, and support staff for the successful opening of Unigames 2022. 

For his part, CHuMS Director Rowell Tagatac reminded the competing athletes and artists to adhere to the principles of fair play and sportsmanship as they exert best efforts to conquer the games and competitions. “Aside from selecting the best players, we are also here to reunite and rekindle our camaraderie with one another,” Tagatac stressed. 

The College of Engineering Maroons was the overall champion in the 2019 Unigames, making their seven-year domination. (HLY/JVBT, StratCom)