THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles competed in the final day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Taekwondo Championship on Tuesday, October 25 at the Blue Eagle Gym in Loyola Heights, Katipunan.

The Blue Eagles

The Blue Eagles were locked in a tight battle against Far Eastern University (FEU) where both teams managed to score three wins after six matches. After Justin de Leon was defeated 1-10, Aaron Agojo took a steady 3-0 win to even the team tie score. The Blue Eagles would be beaten in the next two matches as Elijah Buencamino and Ferdz Subido were outmatched 1-6 and 0-15, respectively.

Determined to bring the blue jins back into the tie, Noy Garcia climbed from a 0-4 deficit, landing two head kicks that saw him take the match, 9-7. Jeff Alejandro took the sixth match of the tie, 5-4, to register the blue jins’ third win. In the deciding match, however, Jeff Ong found himself trailing 0-5 after the first round. He would not be able to recover as the Blue Eagle dropped the match, 0-12, as the Blue Eagles fell to FEU, 3-4.

In the season-ender of the Blue Eagles, de Leon dropped the opening match, 1-11. Shortly after, Agojo would suffer his only defeat in the tournament, faltering 2-10, after his NU counterpart made efficient use of his attacking attempts. Buencamino and Subido were outmatched 2-11 and 4-16, respectively, as FEU took the first four matches. After Garcia dropped the fifth match, 3-7, Alejandro secured a narrow 1-0 win to prevent a sweep. Ong’s 0-15 loss in the last match concluded Season 79 for the Blue Eagles who placed seventh after recording a 0-6 win-loss record.

Team captain Aaron Agojo admitted that this showing could have been better and looked forward into the potential the team has in store for the next season. “Hirap kami this season (We had a hard time this season),” he said.

Nevertheless, the performance of Aaron Agojo won him a gold medal in the flyweight division while Alejandro bagged a silver medal in the welterweight division. Overall, however, Coach Elmer Rafael acknowledged improvements from the players’ performances. “Tumaas yung level and yung sense of fighting (The level [of play] and the fighting spirit [of the players] improved),” he noted.

The Lady Eagles

The lady jins defeated the University of the Philippines (UP) and FEU to end their tournament run on a strong note. Weedee Valenzuela, who was injured in day 3, was not able to continue which forced her to concede her matches against UP and FEU.

Nevertheless, after Irene Bermejo won the tiebreaker in the first match, Aivy de Asis was defeated 1-4. Rookie Pauline Lopez would manage a 3-1 victory to keep the Lady Eagles in the tie and Arianne Agojo made a valiant attempt at a comeback but just fell short as she lost 12-13.

Team Captain Frances Siapno secured a 4-1 lead heading into the second round, where she closed the match, 7-2. In the deciding match, Sandoval similarly faced a 0-4 deficit after the first round. She rallied back, however, landing kicks to the head and the body to take a 6-5 lead. With thirty seconds left, Sandoval struck thrice to gain a 9-5 lead that garnered her the win as the Lady Eagles won the Battle of Katipunan.

Bermejo started the tie against FEU with a 6-2 win followed by resilient defense by de Asis who protected her 5-4 lead from a series of attacks in the dying seconds of the match. After Lopez won the next match by default, Arianne Agojo secured the win for the lady jins with a 3-1 win. Team captain Frances Siapno made her last appearance for the Blue and White, but it was her FEU counterpart who prevailed, 5-15. Sandoval was able to end the tournament on a high note, winning 3-1 to conclude the matchup 5-2.

Strong performances by the Lady Eagles in the final day of the tourney saw several players honored with accolades. Bermejo settled for bronze in the fin weight division, Sandoval garnered a bronze medal in the middle heavyweight division, and de Asis added a gold. Pauline Lopez garned a silver in the featherweight division and took home the Rookie of the Year Award as well.

With these exceptional performances, the Lady Eagles ended an eighteen-year podium drought as they finished in third place in the overall standings. “This is the strongest the team has been,” Siapno said, shortly after concluding her last event in the UAAP. “This team has so much heart and so much bravery and I’m really proud of our performance this season.”