Last December, 15 Atenean student-athletes represented the Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Making the national team for any sport is no small feat, but six of these Blue and Lady Eagles stood out further by notching podium finishes. These achievements helped the Philippines emerge as overall champions with an astounding 387 total medals.
Although prestigious, the opportunity to represent the country can be tricky—especially for Atenean student-athletes who need to juggle academics with national team obligations. But when the country comes calling, it’s hard to turn down a chance of a lifetime. These are the stories of the six Ateneans that made their country proud.
Pauline Lopez
By Gerrick C. Limsiy
Year and Course: 3 AB PSY
Sport: Taekwondo
Finish: Gold
The 2019 SEA Games was a story of redemption for Pauline Lopez. After falling short of her goal in the last edition of the SEA Games with a bronze medal, the national team mainstay returned to her natural under-57 kg weight class to great effect.
Despite being a multi-titled jin in numerous international tournaments, Lopez was not complacent in her preparations for this year’s games. In an interview with ABS-CBN Sports, Lopez was asked whether it was gold or nothing. The 2015 SEA Games champion responded with resounding defiance. “Most definitely. Blood, sweat, and tears, and everything,” she says. “We’re just all going to give it.”
Competing on home soil also inspired Lopez, especially with her parents watching her compete for the first time in 10 years. The results showed. Every bout was a masterclass as the Queen Eagle dominated her opponents one by one. Lopez barely broke a sweat in the semi-finals, emerging victorious by a whopping margin of 17 points. Ultimately, the finals was a culmination of the Filipina jin’s sacrifices and hard work as she dismantled Cambodia’s Chhoeung Aliza, 12-4, en route to her second SEA Games gold.
BJ Imperial
By Jaime D. David
Year and Course: 4 BS ME
Sport: Ice Hockey
Finish: Bronze
After a gold medal finish at the 2017 SEA Games, the Philippine Men’s Ice Hockey Team entered the 2019 games with a singular goal of retaining the crown on home soil. Their title defense came to a halt in the semi-finals against Singapore after a heartbreaking last-minute goal by the visitors. The Filipinos bounced back in the battle for third by way of a 17-1 avalanche against Malaysia, clinching the bronze medal finish.
While Ice Hockey is still very much at the grassroots stage in the country, Imperial brings a wealth of experience to a national side that banners the Philippines with deep pride and is committed to inspiring interest in the sport. “I served as the captain for the [U20 Philippine Men’s Hockey Team] in my eligible years and won a bronze medal in the 2018 U-20 Challenge Cup of Asia. I also play in the Philippine Hockey League which includes both homegrown talents and foreigners who live here and play,” says Imperial.
Although the team’s bronze finish was a great honor for the nation, Imperial cites a more personal moment as his favorite at the Games. “We weren’t allowed to attend the opening ceremony because we had a game the next day. Instead, we were allowed to skate around with our families and just have fun with our teammates without worrying about having to skate hard or take things seriously. It was the first time in a while that any of us were actually able to do that so that was quite memorable for me,” he shares.
Javi Macasaet
By Xavier C. Bautista
Year and Course: 5 BS MGT
Sport: Baseball
Finish: Gold
The Philippine National Baseball Team swept the 2019 SEA Games for their second gold medal in a row and third in the tournament’s history. Javi Macasaet proved to be one of the pillars of the team’s title defense, turning in stellar performances throughout their unblemished 5-0 campaign.
Competing alongside former Blue Eagles Dino Altomonte, Adriane Bernardo, and older brother Paolo Macasaet, he joined a roster full of baseball heavyweights and filled in for the infield positions. Looking back on his stint with the nationals, Macasaet highlighted a special drive for excellence and willingness to sacrifice as key puzzle pieces in their championship picture.
“Winning the gold medal in the SEA Games meant the world to me given the countless hours and sacrifices my team and I had put into training. The result of it all was the unity and teamwork we displayed on the field. Moving forward into this [University Athletic Association of the Philippines] UAAP season, this serves as a confidence booster for myself,” he says.
Maxine Esteban
By Ally S. Crespo
Year and Course: 2 BS ME
Sport: Fencing
Finish: Bronze
The first seven days of December 2019 were filled with blood, sweat, and tears for Maxine Esteban as she donned the country’s colors in yet another tournament. The fencing prodigy, alongside Samantha Catantan, Justine Tinio, Wilhelmina Lozada, and Coach Floriano Guizzardi, represented the Philippines in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The team took home the bronze medal in the Team Women’s Foil.
However, the road to the games was difficult. Last June, the team was bound for an intensive training camp, but Esteban could not join because of academic responsibilities that involved taking intersession classes that are required for Management Engineering students. The same thing happened in October, when the team was given the opportunity to train in South Korea for a full month. Once again, Esteban could not compromise her commitments to Ateneo as a student and had to sit the trip out.
“I knew that I wasn’t really prepared for the competition as compared to my opponents and teammates,” Esteban admits. “This added to the pressure.”
Nonetheless, Esteban represented the flag in women’s foil for both the individual and team events, but only took home a bronze in the latter. She knows she could have done better. Feeling disappointed, Esteban looks back on her SEA games experience as a lesson. “I realized that a person cannot serve two masters. I tried hard to balance between academics and fencing but in the end, I was short of my own expectations.”
Looking forward, Esteban and her teammates will continue to train and compete in international competitions in the hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Esteban is also preparing for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Fencing Tournament. She will be representing the Blue and White with her sister Mia Esteban in the hopes of defending the crown and bringing home the gold to the hill once again.
Jolo Viceo
By Neal R. Beltran
Year and Course: 2 AB DS
Sport: Fencing
Finish: Bronze
The Philippine Men’s Fencing Team had a successful campaign in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, clinching a podium finish in five out of the six Men’s Fencing events. In the Men’s Team Foil, a youth-filled squad was fielded to compete against the best of Southeast Asia. Despite their relative inexperience, the Philippine team surprised many by securing the bronze medal.
One of the key cogs of the Men’s Team Foil was homegrown Atenean Jolo Viceo, who almost did not make the final lineup. Throughout the qualifying process in 2017 and 2018, Viceo struggled to separate himself from his peers, to the point that his fit in the Men’s Team Foil event was questioned.
“I was even being advised to move to a different event because I was not excelling,” Viceo recalls.
However, instead of getting discouraged, Viceo said his lapses gave him the inspiration to push harder. “[My struggles] pushed me to strive harder”. Viceo began to train and compete at a different level. Eventually, his efforts paid off as he qualified in the last month of selections.
Qualifying and winning the medal was gratifying for Viceo, but he remains motivated and hungry for more, acknowledging that there is still a challenging road ahead of him. There are several big events to look forward to, such as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82, the next SEA Games, and even the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Viceo’s invaluable experiences—the rigorous qualifying process and competing on a stage as big as the SEA Games—will definitely help him in these coming bouts. The future is bright for the young fencing star.
Jude Rodriguez
By Nielbert A. Dy
Year and Course: 6 AB EU
Sport: Arnis
Finish: Silver
Jude Rodriguez, silver medalist in the featherweight division of the livestick event at the 2019 SEA Games, only learned the sport in her first Physical Education class in Ateneo. Like most of her classmates, she started off as a first-timer, but Rodriguez’s special talent and drive called the attention of the national team where she truly began to come into her own.
On a stage as grand as the SEA Games, Rodriguez and the Women’s National Arnis team thrived under the lights. The team picked up a gold medal in all three event categories, highlighted by a clean sweep of all divisions of the padded stick event.
However, reaching these heights was no easy feat for the Lady Eagle who struggled to integrate herself into the squad early on. “Being an Atenean was more reason to [not like] me. Even during the first day of training, I’d be judged for the clothes I wear. It was hard making friends because a lot of them came from state universities and public schools where arnis was a much bigger sport,” she shared.
Despite the early growing pains, Rodriguez reiterated that she is proud of her journey thus far. “My biggest achievement was making a name for Ateneo Arnis. Being the first from Ateneo to be part of the SEA Games in Arnis encapsulated a lot of the things I stand for,” beamed Rodriguez.
