THE ATENEO Men’s Fencing Team had a successful start to their University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 Men’s Fencing campaign on Monday, February 11, at the Paco Arena, Manila City.
Blue Eagle Jian Bautista finished with the silver in Men’s Epee Individual, falling to Sam Tranquilan of the University East (UE) in the finals. On the other hand, fellow rookie Blue Eagle Daniel Britanico, who landed a top four spot, notched a bronze medal in Men’s Saber Individual.
Men’s Saber Individual
Britanico and Polo Llagas kicked-off the Ateneo Men’s Fencing Team campaign with a 2-2 record in their respective poulings. However, Llagas fell to De La Salle University’s (DLSU) Daryl Lumahan in the quarterfinals.
Britanico held his own in the quarterfinals against one of the top saber fencers in the country, Daniel Villanueva of University of Santo Tomas. At 7-8, Britanico scored three straight to take control of the tie before closing it out, 15-10. He was then matched against Sam Tranquilan in the semifinals but was beaten 9-15, finishing as the second runner-up.
Men’s Epee Individual
The Blue Eagles resumed their afternoon with the Men’s Epee Individual category, where they were represented by Bautista and Josh Bucad. At the end of poulings, Bautista ranked second heading into the quarterfinals while Bucad crashed out.
Bautista got matched up with the seventh-seed Dale Gonzales from the University of the Philippines. He edged out Gonzales narrowly, 15-13. Bautista then went on to face one of the favorites for the category, Lumahan of DLSU. After being down early on, Bautista came from behind to snatch the victory, 15-13, earning his spot in finals.
Bautista squared off with Tranquilan of UE in the gold medal match. The bout was close throughout, but the Red Warrior scored several consecutive points in the final few sequences to eventually close out the finals match and force Bautista to settle for the silver medal, 12-15.
Despite failing to notch the gold medal, Bautista was proud of his performance. “The competition is much harder because [many of them] are from the national team, so it was a bigger challenge for me,” Bautista said. “Even though I lost [in the finals], I poured out all my heart today and I feel like that’s what matters most.”
The Ateneo Men’s Fencing Team will return to action for the Men’s Foil Individual on Tuesday, February 12, 1:00 PM, at the Paco Arena, Manila City.
