Puerto Rico crowned back-to-back NORCECA U17 Champions

The back-to-back championship comes two years after Puerto Rico claimed its first title in Mexico, also with a 3–1 win in the final.

By THE STAR STAFF

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – “The objective has been more than achieved—beyond one hundred percent. This is the most meaningful victory I’ve had in my life,” were the first words of captain Héctor Lavergne after lifting the trophy that crowns Puerto Rico as back-to-back champions of the NORCECA Boys’ U17 Continental Championship. With a 3–1 victory (25–23, 25–22, 18–25, 25–22) over Cuba, the Puerto Ricans also secured their ticket to the World Championship.

In a thrilling and evenly matched final, Puerto Rico effectively managed its resources to overcome a resilient Cuban team that never gave up. Puerto Rico made the difference in blocking (8–5) and attacking (49–43), while both teams committed 34 errors.

Elvis González was the top scorer with 20 points, followed by Jayden Figueroa with 8. For Cuba, standout performers included Víctor Contreras (19), Reinaldo Márquez (13), and Dalian La O (12).

The back-to-back championship comes two years after Puerto Rico claimed its first title in Mexico, also with a 3–1 win in the final. Now, with their sights set on the World Championship, Lavergne noted that the team is preparing for “another level, with plenty of time, practices, and conditioning to go far.”

Head coach Hernán Torrez closed the day with words of gratitude: “We are beyond happy; this work has been in progress for a long time, even though this is a new cycle because these young athletes are just beginning. This goes out to many dedicated people in our country, such as Mr. Trabanco, Carlos de Sevilla, Noel Barrero, and Kike Ruiz. We pray that God blesses them, and we thank them for this opportunity given to us and to these boys who became champions for the second consecutive year.”

The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation President, Dr. César Trabanco, stated that “the federation is more than satisfied, as it has fulfilled its role related to the athletic and health components. Our vision and mission are to ensure the physical and mental development of our young athletes, and we have accomplished that. We are extremely pleased with the work carried out.”

This achievement reaffirms the commitment of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation to the integral development of our athletes and to the dignified representation of Puerto Rico on the international stage.

The president added in his closing remarks that “this tournament marks the conclusion of our indoor volleyball commitments for 2025. We still have beach volleyball events remaining. In the coming weeks we will have the last NORCECA tournament, which corresponds to the women’s team in Brazil”.

“After that, we conclude this year’s participation and will meet with the technical commission to evaluate the performance of each team, unifying planning for 2026. By December 31, we will be moving forward with all commitments for our coaches, including the establishment of their contracts”, concluded the president.