MANILA — Football greats will headline the newest batch of inductees to the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame, the institution announced on Sunday during the blessing of the Gallery of Excellence at the Blue Eagle Gym.
The latest group included former UAAP champions, record-holders, Most Valuable Players, national team players, and coaches who helped build Ateneo's legacy across several sports.
Leading the class are football standouts Mark Allan Ramos, Ramon Espejo Jr., Domeka Gaizka Garamendi, Paolo Antonio G. Aquino, Juan Paolo Pajarito Buendia, Joseph Vincent B. Santos, and Rely San Agustin.
READ: Ateneo to induct new members into Sports Hall of Fame
Espejo and Garamendi were part of Ateneo's 1995 and 1998 championship teams and earned individual UAAP honors, with Espejo winning the 1998 UAAP MVP award and Garamendi taking Best Goal Scorer honors that same year.
Margarita Bonifacio, meanwhile, will be the second female athlete in the Hall of Fame after a decorated taekwondo career highlighted by three UAAP gold medals, a pair of SEA Games bronze medals, and an Asian Games bronze medal in Bangkok back in 1998.
The class also features track and field greats Felix Santillan, Illac Diaz, and Juan Carlos Arteficio, along with swimming standouts John Paul Pang and Raem Puno.
Pang was a two-time UAAP MVP and record-holder, while Puno earned UAAP Rookie of the Year and Season MVP honors while setting multiple meet records.
Juniors track and field coaches Benjamin Silva-Netto and Edward Sediego were likewise honored for helping Ateneo High School establish a dominant run that produced 24 championships between them.
The ASHOF also named Ramon "Choy" O. Cojuangco Jr. and Ricardo C. Leong as its 2026 Special Awardees.
Cojuangco was recognized for his patronage of Ateneo volleyball and basketball, including support for student-athlete scholarships and championship programs, while Leong was honored for his contributions to Ateneo athletics and education.
The 15 new inductees will formally be enshrined during Fabilioh XIV on September 27.