Dominican Women Team awarded in “Premios Latino” 

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 21, 2007.- The Dominican Republic Women’s Volleyball National Team was honoured during the recent award ceremony of “Annual Premios Latino” held at Jaragua Renassaince Hotel in Santo Domingo.

Setter Juana Gonzalez along with Coach Miguel Beato Cruz and Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of the DR Women National Women’s Program, received a plaque from Mr. Mario de Jesus, president of Premios Latino Organization.

The honour for the Dominican Republic Women’s Team was a tribute for the gold medal obtained during the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Cartagena, Colombia.

The Dominican Team successfully defended the crown won four years earlier during the CAC Games in El Salvador.

In presenting the plaque, Mr. De Jesus remarked all the achievements reached in recent years by the Dominican Team, including the gold medal in the 2003 Pan American Games and the qualification to the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Several Dominican and international sports fixtures were also honoured during the ceremony, including former Mexican boxer Jose –Pipino- Cuevas and former major league baseball players Tito Fuentes of Cuba, Omar Moreno of Panama, Carlos Baerga of Puerto Rico, Vic Davalillo and Robert Perez of Venezuela and Luis Polonia of Dominican Republic.

-Luis Castillo, the first Dominican native to participate in the NFL, and boxing junior lightweight champion Joan Guzman, also received plaques of recognition.

The Annual Premios Latino first started in Miami, Florida in 1996. The South Florida city hosted the award ceremony since its inception. The last two editions have been held in Santo Domingo sponsored by the Dominican Republic Sports Ministry.