ON THE last day of competition, the Ateneo Fencing Teams displayed their vigor to end the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Fencing Tournament. The final set of matches was held earlier today, March 16, at the Makati Coliseum in the City of Makati.
With the Sabre squad collecting a bronze medal, the Women’s Team finished the tournament with two bronze medals, while the Men’s Team came home with one bronze medal from yesterday’s Sabre Team victory.
Women’s Épée Team
Francesca Bernabe, Kiana Mangulabnan, AJ Palo, and reserve Yelena Martinez took on the University of Santo Tomas (UST)’s Rodgelyn Raguin, Krystal Tuy, Dahlia Capuno, and substitute Ruby Sardenia.
In the opening bout, Bernabe set the stage for an early 5-3 advantage over UST’s Raguin. However, Blue Eagle Palo struggled to contain Tuy, allowing UST to level the score, 10-10. Mangulabnan then stepped up for the Blue and White, producing a 5-3 outing for the third relay, 15-13.
Despite their efforts, the Katipunan-based squad eventually fell prey to Raguin and Capuno, who added on seven and five touches, respectively, in their bouts. With established momentum on the Black and Gold’s side, Blue Eagles Mangulabnan and Martinez played catch-up towards the end of the face-off, 26-30.
Remaining driven, Mangulabnan fought hard in the eighth rotation and contributed four touches for the Blue Eagles, 32-40. Bernabe managed to cut the deficit to five after persistently exhibiting an 8-5 bout against UST’s Tuy. Ultimately, however, the Blue and White were unable to reclaim the lead and wound up at a 40-45 loss.
Men’s Foil Team
Following the women’s matchup, Sebastien Aceron, Seth Cucio, Jose Torres, reserve Adam Webber IV challenged De La Salle University (DLSU)’s Yannis Gollena, Alphonso Co, Kurt Maruquez, and substitute Edan Ensamtan in the Men’s Foil.
In the first bout, Torres fell short against DLSU’s Gollena with a 3-5 team score. Blue Eagle Cucio then compensated for the deficit, securing seven touches to get ahead, 10-7. Despite this, Aceron could not counter Maruquez’s 8-2 surge for the Green and White,falling behind at 12-15.
Hoping to regain the edge, Ateneo’s Torres stood against Co and produced eight touches in the fourth relay, 20-19. However, Aceron was not able to sustain this as he succumbed to Gollena at 21-25.
With unwavering drive, Cucio exhibited an 8-5 blade work to narrow the gap, 29-30. However, Blue Eagle Webber yielded to Co, 0-5, in the succeeding rotation, 29-35. With DLSU’s Maruquez and Gollena finding solid footing even further, Torres and Cucio were unable to close the gap, conceding at 34-35.
Women’s Sabre Team
In the final event of the tournament for the Blue Eagles, the Women’s Sabre Team entered as the third-seed and drew a bye, automatically securing Ateneo a bronze finish.
For their semi-finals matchup, bronze medalist Kaikaku Dela Serna once again graced the piste along with Danica Castro, Maiev Boy, and reserve Patricia Cablay, who faced UST’s Kim Tuy, Krystal, Kristel Chacon, and reserve Ruby Sardenia.
The opening battle found Dela Serna hitless in a tough bout with Kim, surrendering to a 0-5 performance. Despite the Blue and White’s Castro getting on the board with three touches, Ateneo’s deficit grew to seven, 3-10. Blue Eagle Boy brought the Katipunan-based squad back into the fight with nine touches against Chacon’s five, 12-15.
Cablay struggled to maintain control for the Blue and White as she fell to Kim in five successive touches, 12-20. Determined to punch in Ateneo’s ticket to the Finals, Dela Serna exploded with a match-high 13 hits against Sardenia to gain the advantage for the Blue Eagles, 25-24.
As quickly as they took the lead, the Ateneo quartet soon fell into another deficit after Boy’s tough battle with Krystal, 25-30. In back-to-back matches, Cablay and Boy failed to gain the upper hand in their respective assignments with Sardenia and Kim, 29-40. Even with Dela Serna’s performance in the final match, the deficit was too much to overcome UST’s Krystal who stopped Ateneo’s run in the semifinals, 33-45.
With the Season 88 Fencing Tournament concluding, the Blue Eagles seek continued improvement following successful campaigns in team competition. As the likes of Agatep and Dela Serna continue to excel, the Blue and White will aim to enter UAAP royalty in the coming seasons.
Men’s Medal Tally (Gold-Silver-Bronze):
- UE Red Warriors (2-2-2)
- DLSU Green Fencers (1-2-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-1-3)
- UST Tiger Fencers (1-0-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-0-1)
Women’s Medal Tally (Gold-Silver-Bronze):
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-1-1)
- UE Lady Warriors (2-1-5)
- DLSU Lady Fencers (0-2-1)
- UST Lady Fencers (0-1-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-0-2)
