THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Jins concluded their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 76 campaign last September 25, 2013 at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan with both teams landing fifth-place finishes.
“I believe that we were prepared for the season, since we had proper training and we studied the techniques of our opponents,” Blue Jin Aaron Agojo said.
These preparations were immediately challenged, as the Blue Jins faced tough opponents in their season-opener. They began the season with a match against defending champions University of Santo Tomas (UST) and lost with a 5-2 tally.
The team would suffer the same fate in their second matchup against the University of the Philippines. They would, however, successfully recuperate at the end of the first day, finishing off National University (NU) to secure their first win of the season.
The Blue Jins continued to struggle on the second day of the tournament as they failed to notch a win over eventual champions, De La Salle University (DLSU).
On the other hand, the Lady Jins won over University of the East (UE) in the opening round of the women’s competition with a 4-3 card. The celebration was cut short, however, as their attempt to start a winning streak was denied with consecutive loses to UP and the eventual champions, UST.
The women’s team also suffered the most devastating loss of their campaign at the hands of rival DLSU, who swept the match with a 7-0 tally.
The last day of competition proved to be bittersweet for both the men’s and women’s taekwondo teams as each incurred a win and a loss to cap off their season. The Blue Jins emerged victorious over UE, while the Lady Jins managed to upset NU.
The Lady Jins’ victory over the Bulldogs was unforeseen due to the fact that they only had five out of seven players to compete on the last day. They originally had one default spot at the start of the season, but the additional default spot was due to the flight of France Alarilla, who had to go to South Korea for national team training. The surprising results also turned out to be the highlight of the season for the Lady Jins.
Despite falling short in the tournament proper, the Ateneo Blue and Lady Jins were able to stand out in the Poomsae tournament, a contest that showcases stances and kicks in taekwondo against an imaginary opponent.
This season marks the first year that the UAAP declared Poomsae as an official event, and as an official inclusion to the general championship race. The Jins garnered the overall bronze in the event.
Alarilla of the Lady Jins brought home the silver for the women’s individual event while Red Bermejo of the men’s team was awarded bronze for the men’s individual competition.
In addition, both the men’s squad in the team event consisting of Bermejo, Agojo, and Justin de Leon and the lineup of Agojo and Alarilla in the mixed pair event were awarded the third spot, paving the way for the Jins’ platform finish in the Poomsae tournament.
Several Jins also bagged awards in different divisions for outstanding individual performances throughout the season.
Blue Jin Agojo bagged the gold for the men’s flyweight division, while team captain Joel Alejandro secured the silver for the men’s middleweight/heavyweight division.
For the Lady Jins, Frances Jasmine Siapno seized bronze for the women’s lightweight division alongside fellow Lady Jin Noleen Lagnada, who took the same spot for the finweight division.
Weedee Valenzuela of the women’s team also turned in an impressive UAAP debut, bagging the silver medal for the flyweight division and emerging as the Season 76 Rookie of the Year.
For the Blue and Lady Jins, confidence was the main factor they admittedly lacked throughout the entire season.
“At first, we wanted to show what we usually practice in training: Our stamina and endurance. We also wanted to surprise the other teams by showing them the techniques that we learned in our trainings. But I think after those two days competing with those teams, we lacked the confidence to show them what we initially intended to demonstrate,” Alarilla admits.
Despite missing out on a podium finish, both teams were able to stand out in the Poomsae tournament and the individual categories, which, for them, was more than what they expected.
