THE LADY Eagles of the Ateneo Fencing Team made history as they seized the gold in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Fencing Tournament, halting the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors’ 11-year Championship streak, on November 25 in the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City.
The Blue Eagles also capped off their UAAP Season at the podium, securing a third-place overall finish their division. Ateneo Fencing wrapped up the team events with more medals as the Men’s Foil Team grabbed the silver medal for the Blue and White while Women’s Sabre and Epee Team settled for bronze, respectively.
Ateneo Men’s Fencing Team
The Blue and White, represented by Jaime Viceo, Anton Alianan, Michael Heraldo, and Jacob Villanueva, aimed to add to their medals haul in the Men’s Foil Team event. The Blue Eagles were automatically seated at the semi-finals against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. The fencers from Diliman had no answer to the offensive runs unleashed by their counterparts. Ateneo dominated until the final buzzer and won, 45-28, to secure a finals matchup against the UE Red Warriors.
UE got off to a strong start in the finals, leading the Blue Eagles 4-10. The combined efforts of Villanueva and Alianan were able to bring the deficit to three, with UE leading at 12-15. Halfway through the fifth bout, Viceo was able to give Ateneo its first taste of the lead at 21-20. The Red Warriors slowly but surely mounted their comeback and took back the lead, 33-34. With 30 seconds left in the final bout with the score at 40-44 in favor of UE, Viceo was given a red card for turning his back before a halt was called which automatically gave a point and consequently the match and the gold medal to the Red Warriors.
Ateneo Women’s Fencing Team
The Lady Eagles struggled to maintain their winning streak during the semi-finals of the Women’s Sabre Team event, concluding the match with a bronze medal as a result of their unexpected loss to University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the Sabre Team semis. The Blue and White quartet, consisting of members Julia Ambas, Maxine Esteban, Ericka Nava, and Frances Ferrer (substitute) stepped onto the piste hopeful to seal the win against their opponents from UST.
Outstanding rookie Esteban impressed once again as she attempted to salvage the Sabre Team’s performance, scoring 18 out of the Lady Eagles’ 39 points, accompanied by teammate Nava’s 13-point tally. Despite Esteban’s sixth bout win, 31-29, and Nava’s proficient performance, the Blue and White’s efforts were no match to that of the UST Golden Tigresses’. The match ended with UST defeating Ateneo by six points, 39-45.
Lady Eagles Patricia Sarmiento, Monica Pangilinan, Gabby Jimenez, and Isabela Miguel represented Ateneo as they competed in the Women’s Epee Team competition. For their first bout, the Blue and White squared-off against UP in the quarterfinals to earn the final seat in the semi-final round. The team displayed their prowess throughout the bout as they demolished the Lady Maroons, 45-22. The victory guaranteed the Lady Eagles of a podium finish once again sa they advanced to the semi-final round.
In the semi-final round, the Blue and White were pitted against UST. The Lady Eagles played with grit as they kept things close with the Golden Tigresses throughout the bout. However, the Women’s Epee Team fell to UST, 39-42, in a thrilling nine-period match. The team still rounded up the competition with a podium finish as they received the bronze along with the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers.
In the Men’s Division, the Blue Eagles tallied a total of five bronze finishes and a silver, concluding the tournament with a second runner-up finish. On the other hand, the Lady Eagles made history for the Blue and White as they were crowned as the Women’s Division Overall Champions. The Lady Eagles captured a total of three gold medals and three bronze finishes to take them above UE in the overall medal count.
For individual awards, Ateneo’s phenom on the piste, Esteban, claimed the Women’s Division Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors for her sensational performance in the tournament.
“I feel very proud with how my team performed. Even if I knew we were underdogs this year, I [was] always motivated and told them that this year was our biggest chance to win the overall championship title. We fought for every single point and we gave every single bout our best,” the rookie said. “I can’t promise that we can accomplish the same result next year since most of the seniors are already leaving, but what I can promise is that we will continue to fight our hardest and we will always give our opponents one big fight.”
The Blue and White’s Season 81’s podium finish is a testament to the hard work and sacrifice the coaches, players, and managers put through throughout the whole year in preparation for this season. With the Blue and Lady Eagles’ performance throughout this year’s tournament, the Ateneo Fencing Team has a bright future ahead.
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