LINGAYEN — Host Ilocos Region ruled in 24 events, nine of them held Thursday afternoon, to win the championship in athletics but it remains fifth in the overall standing, still trailing fourth-running Southern Tagalog.

The final tally in athletics released at 12 noon Friday showed Ilocos region bagging 24 golds, 26 silvers and four bronzes.

“I was surprised but happy with this phenomenal performance by our boys and girls in athletics,” said Dr. Gonzalo T. Duque, president of the Ilocos Region PRISAA and of Lyceum-Northwestern University in Dagupan City.

Ilocos stood the challenge posed by Southern Mindanao which ruled in 22 events to nail down its first ever victory in athletics, an improvement of its six gold medal outputs in last year’s edition of the PRISAA national games in Zamboanga City for a sixth place finish in the overall medal tally.

Southern Mindanao also had 17 silvers and 24 bronzes in its runner-up finish in athletics.

Seventeen-year old Rochelle Corpuz of the Virgen Milagrosa University in San Carlos City and 20-year-old Romy de Guzman of the University of Luzon (UL) collected four golds each in this mighty uprising by the host.

Corpuz, a second year B.S. Nursing student, won golds in long jump, triple jump, classical relay and 4 x 200 meter relay, then bagged the silver in the 4 x 100 relay.

De Guzman, a 4th year B.S. Ed student of UL, amassed four golds in the 800 meter run, 4 x 100 meter relay, 4 x 800 meter relay and powered his team for the 4 x 100, 2000, 300 and 400 relay.

Gaby Buenaflor, Bryan Aquinde and Aldrin Sendico, a bio-medic student at VMUF, had their shares of two golds each in the relay events, while Aldrin’s brother Carl Marlon Sendico had one gold when he joined in the 4 x 100 meter relay.

De Guzman was easily the most be-medalled runner in the meet as he also placed second in the 200 meter dash, 4 x 200 meter relay, 4 x 400 relay and the 400 meter dash.

Twenty-year-old Russel Camero, a 4th year Criminology student of the University of Luzon, anchored Ilocos’ women’s team in the 4 x 200 relay and the classical relay and accounted for two golds.

Her teammates in these events were Corpuz, 22-year-old Lisa Casaña, a first year student in MA/Ed at UL; and Analyn Manzano, 20, also of UL.

Eighteen-year-old Aracely Cabacungan, a B.S. Tourism student at Lyceum-Northwestern University, won the gold in the 10,000 meter walk, three days after bagging the silver in the 5,000 meter walk.

Front-running Western Visayas accounted for 16 golds, 20 silvers and 14 bronzes in athletics to place third with Southern Tagalog bagging 10 golds, five silvers and 15 bronzes.

Central Visayas trails behind with five golds, six silvers and 13 bronzes followed by Westwern Mindanao with one gold, two silvers and one bronze. (PNA)