“We hoped for it but what we achieved was beyond our expectations,” says Nefren Roy A. Lobitana, Rachel J. Bocoboc, and Myko F. Mendoza, the three Laboratory High School (Science Curriculum) students who won as national champions in the 2010 Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs (PSYSC) Science Olympiad held Sept. 25 at PHIVOLCS, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

The MMSU team competed against 20 national qualifiers, which included the University of the Philippines Integrated School and various campuses of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS).

And it was not even a close fight.  MMSU earned a total of 48 points, around twice that of second placer PSHS Mindanao’s 27 points and third placer St. Jude High School Manila’s 20 points.  MMSU was consistently the top scorer in the easy, average, and difficult rounds.

The preliminary round of the national finals where the 20 teams were to be trimmed down to 10 was composed of theory and actual practical application. The final round was an oral examination.

MMSU was the only team from Region I which competed in the national finals as it topped the elimination round held Sept. 4 at the BHC Educational Institution in San Fernando City, La Union.

The team was accompanied by coaches Mignon Cecilia S. Diego and Rhea O. Morales who teach chemistry and physics, respectively.

Their other coaches were: Josephine Quitola, biology/biotechnology; Clarence Ordonia, computer science; and Jeferson Panilo, earth science.

This is not the first time the PSYSC national champions brought honor to MMSU. Lobitaña has previously dominated student journalism and debate competitions. Bocoboc is also the university’s bet in math quizzes and photojournalism, while Garcia, who hopes to become a lawyer someday, is a standout in table tennis. Both Lobitaña and Bocoboc intend to pursue medicine.