LINGAYEN — Defending champion Western Visayas (WV) has retained the championship crown for the 2006 Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) national games here.

WV wrapped up the weeklong sports competition by winning two taekwondo events at the CSI City Mall in Dagupan City while its women’s team bagged the gold in the women’s volleyball, collecting 70 golds, 72 silvers and 59 bronze medals.

Heavyweight jin Miguel Ruiz of the University of La Salle in Bacolod City disposed of his opponent while Catherine Samonte of Riverside College also overpowered her opponent to give Western Visayas two more golds in the homestretch of the PRISAA event.

Western Visayas volleybelles defeated Southern Mindanao in the finals to rule in the women’s volleyball.

Taking the championship in Zamboanga City for the first time last year, Western Visayas rode on the crest of its victories in women’s swimming, women’s badminton, women’s athletics while settling for silvers in men’s volleyball, men’s, swimming, men’s table tennis and men’s chess and bronze in men’s badminton and men’s table tennis.

Fr. Emilio Jaruda Jr, of the Negros Occidental Recolletos, president of the Western Visayas PRISAA , said they were happy with the victory although they were short of eight in the number of gold medals they won in the PRISAA games in Zamboanga City last year.

In the 2005 PRISAA meet, WV won 78 golds in contrast to the 70 they hauled for this year’s games.

New swimming sensation 18-year old Kristine Cabasac, a student of the Lacson Colleges Foundation, was the most be-medalled athlete, winning five golds in separate swimming events.

“We’ve long been preparing for this and we’re glad we did it again,” Jaruda told sports writers at the Western Visayas’ camp inside the Pangasinan National High School, only a walking distance from the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here.

Incidentally, Western Visayas will be next year’s host of the PRISAA national games to be held either in Iloilo City or Bacolod City.

“All of us are happy that we were able to successfully defend our title,” Fr. Jaruda said.

Southern Mindanao finished second with 61 golds, 52 silvers and 50 bronzes, lording over in softball where they disposed of Bicol Region in the finals. (PNA)