THE ATENEO Blue Eagles concluded their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Judo campaign with the Men’s Team finishing fourth place out of four competing teams and the Women’s Team placing fourth place out of five teams. The brief two-day tournament ended earlier today at the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Men’s Division
Following respective bronze and silver medal finishes by Blue Eagles Yvan Ayalin and Arhann Rodil in Day 1, an eight-man unit took to the mats in the tourney’s busy final day.
First to the floor was the Ateneo Men’s Judo Team Captain Mark Bangui—who also took home one of two medals won by the Blue and White in Day 2. Bangui began the Blue Eagles’ string of matches with a statement win over his University of the Philippines (UP) foe in the Men’s -66kg division. The Ateneo team captain then asserted his mastery over his University of Santo Tomas (UST) rival in the semifinals, emerging victorious via a waza-ari.
Semifinal
— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) December 18, 2022
[Men’s -66kg]
Mark Bangui adds another win to his plate after his UST opponent is given a red card. He earned one waza-ari during the match.
#UAAPJudo pic.twitter.com/7FzqF77scJ
With a chance to take home Ateneo’s first gold medal of the tournament, Bangui faltered against his UST counterpart in an otherwise hard-fought affair, taking home the Men’s Team’s second silver medal finish of Season 85.
Looking to continue the Blue Eagles’ momentum, Jose Francisco took down his De La Salle University (DLSU) adversary with a firm ippon in the Men’s -66kg division. However, Francisco’s bid for a bronze finish was unceremoniously spoiled, falling to a UST foe’s ippon.
Repechage
— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) December 18, 2022
[Men’s -66kg]
Jose Francisco is triumphant against his DLSU opponent with a firm Ippon!
#UAAPJudo pic.twitter.com/pbzIiAGQYm
In the Men’s -60kg division, Co-Captain Migo Gonzalvo opened up his individual bid for a medal by surviving a fiercely-contested duel against UP.
[Men’s -60kg]
— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) December 18, 2022
Co-captain Migo Gonzalgo emerges victorious via Ippon over his UPD foe after a highly contested match. #UAAPJudo pic.twitter.com/WYxUNnpTaT
Competing in two more matches in the hopes of a podium finish, Gonzalvo bowed out of medal contention as he succumbed to his UST and UP opponents.
Next up was Elijah Claravall, who competed as Ateneo’s second judoka in the Men’s -60kg division. Looking to break the Men’s Team’s losing skid, Claravall first grabbed a win over UP before suffering a tough loss to DLSU in the semifinals. Claravall ended his Season 85 stint on a high note—besting his DLSU competitor for a bronze medal.
Bronze
— Caitlin Bernal (@Ayin_TheGUIDON) December 18, 2022
[Men’s -60kg]
Elijah Claravall secures the bronze medal after a successful Ippon over his DLSU foe!
#UAAPJudo pic.twitter.com/HEklNtoQ9A
While falling short of medal finishes, the Men’s Team ended the day with three Blue Eagles posting commendable efforts.
Despite earning one waza-ari with 10 seconds left, Geoff Apostol was defeated in his -55kg bronze medal match after being given a red card. In another bout for third place, JM Flores was bested by his DLSU rival via an ippon in the Men’s -73kg weight class. As Ateneo’s second judoka in the same division, Lorenzo Sanchez’s campaign ended with a loss to UST courtesy of an ippon.
Team Captain Bangui noted that his fourth-ranked team did well despite the training pool being composed of new members. “It was a good performance overall. It was [a] great effort and everyone put the result of their training out there,” he said.
In total, the men’s team notched eight points for their fourth place finish in the standings.
Women’s Division
In the Women’s Division, Aquilo Pimentel competed in the -63kg category but was unable to overpower her opponents early on. Maxine Mababangloob from the -78kg division advanced to the bronze medal bout but fell to her University of the East (UE) via one waza-ari, exhausting the four minute time limit.
Team Captain Roni Lapuz shared how happy she was with her squad, saying, “Last season we got one silver medal, but this season there are three of us who got medals so I’m really happy and proud of my team.”
With the Women’s Team securing a fourth place finish and five total points to boot, Head Coach Alexander Sulit notes that he is filled with nothing but pride.
“Admittedly, most of the team are fresh and new to the line up, but despite that, everybody worked hard. Blood, sweat, and tears is really cliché, but that’s what they really did for the past few months. Regardless of the results, I am feeling mighty proud of all these guys,” beamed the head coach.
