AFTER SETTLING for second place in last season’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) judo tournament, the Ateneo Blue Eagles reclaimed the title this Season 78 by winning five gold, one silver, and three bronze medals. The nine medals won by the Ateneo amounted to 61 points, enough to secure them the overall championship.

Marco Lasam (-60kg), Nico Clemente (-66kg), Alfred Querubin (-81kg), Monch Santiago (-90kg), and Jose Ariel Querubin (-100kg) powered the Ateneo judokas to victory by winning gold medals in their respective divisions. In addition, Raf Cadiente (+100kg) claimed a silver medal of his own. Also adding to the medal count were Omar Lopez (-55kg), Ralph Sapi (-66kg), and Martel Agustin (-100kg), who all won bronzes in their divisions.

Along with his gold medal, Team Captain Monch Santiago was declared the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. On the other end, freshman student Nico Clemente was awarded Rookie of the Year honors.

Currently in his fourth year on the team, Santiago displayed dominance from the very start of his Season 78 campaign by winning his quarterfinal match against Prince Lledo of the University of the Philippines (UP) with a powerful ippon. He followed this up with a commanding semifinal performance against Renzo Cazenas of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), forcing him to submit after a wince-inducing arm bar. The cherry on top for Santiago was his gold medal match against Jollo Atienza of UST, whom he defeated in the first five seconds of their match.

“We really gave it everything this season. Puso–just really, the heart of an AJA [Ateneo Judo Association] judoka, something we’ve really tried to integrate into our training program,” said Santiago. “Fearlessness, courage, strength, this is what brought us to where we are now,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles fell just short of a podium finish, taking the fourth place spot in this season’s tournament. The individual awardees for the lady judokas were Seanne Cheung (+78 kg), who nabbed the sole gold medal, and Mei Uy (-70 kg), who won bronze. These two medals translated to 12 points for the Lady Eagles, which was only eight behind second runners-up UP and 12 behind first runners-up University of the East.

Overall Points Tally:

Men’s division – Ateneo 61, UST 45, DLSU 19, UP 18, UE 9, AdU 0

Women’s division – UST 86, UE 24, UP 20, Ateneo 12, DLSU 8, AdU 2