CARRYING ON as worthwhile competitors for glory, the Ateneo Men’s and Women’s Fencing Teams (AFeT) cap off their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Fencing Tournament bids with fifth-place finishes. The final day of the tourney was held earlier today at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila. 

Despite the AFeT’s commendable undertakings to boost their medal tallies in the final day of matches, the Blue Eagles fell short at the hands of top-seeded opponents, bowing out of podium finishes on the fourth day.    

Women’s Épée Team 

Opening the final day for the Women’s Division, Francesca Bernabe, Kiana Mangulabnan, and Lucia Montinola donned the Blue and White in the Women’s Épée Team event against the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Accumulating a total of 20 and 15 points respectively, Montinola and Mangulabnan were deemed the Katipunan-based squad’s top contenders in the match. Starting off with a 5-0 run, Mangulabnan secured the first four points of Ateneo. Following suit was Montinola and her best efforts to increase the score tally, as she chipped in eight points. Despite the extensive hustle to secure point leads, the Blue Eagles succumbed to the University of Santo Tomas, 41-45. 

Women’s Sabre Team

Emulating Montinola and Mangulabnan’s athletic prowess were Kaku Dela Serna, Patty Cablay, Thea Sebastian, and Kristine Vicente in the Women’s Sabre Team event against De La Salle University (DLSU). Vying for a medal haul, captain Dela Serna forefronted the Blue and White with 26 points in total, capturing the first 10 points in the match. Subsequently, star rookie Cablay tallied seven points after Dela Serna despite wavering in the first rounds of the tableau. Countering the Blue and White’s odds were DLSU’s Alleah Aala and Mharla Ortula, securing their three-point lead against Ateneo with a cumulative 17 and 15 points, respectively. Concluding the match with three points from Dela Serna and five points from Ortula, the Blue Eagles get to grips with their first loss of the day, 42-45.  

Men’s Foil Team

Concluding the team events of the season were Seth Cucio, Raphael Jimenez, Aidan Reyes, and Jaime Viceo in the Men’s Foil Team event against the University of the Philippines (UP). Spearheaded by veteran Viceo, the Blue and White secured a comfortable lead in the opening frames of the match, 10-6. However, their Katipunan counterparts regained momentum and stabilized their footing, resulting in a  14-14 deadlock. In hopes of bagging match honors, Viceo traded seven more points in the final sequences. However, despite Ateneo’s willful fervor to finish the bout on a high note, the match ended with a 45-30 run in favor of UP.

The Ateneo Men’s and Women’s Fencing Teams led by Team captains Cucio and Dela Serna wrapped the season up with a combined one silver medal and four bronze medals, solidifying their mark as the fifth seed.

With promising rookies such as Tony Cabrera and Cablay carrying the torch ignited by their veterans, AFeT hopes to regain fate in Season 87 of the acclaimed tournament with renewed ardor.