In Season 81, the Ateneo Women’s Fencing Team finally ended their 12-year title drought after bagging the UAAP Women’s Fencing championship behind an MVP-performance from super rookie Maxine Esteban. The Lady Eagles’ title signaled the team’s second UAAP fencing championship while ending University of the East’s eleven-year dominance in the tournament. “[The championship] confirmed that Ateneo is not just a university of excellence in the academe but also in sports as well,” shared Esteban.
The last time the Lady Eagles bagged the crown was in Season 69. While the Blue and White finished as runners-up from seasons 70 to 73, they missed out on a top three finish in five of the next seven seasons.
Determined to end the drought, the Lady Eagles accustomed their minds to live by one mindset: Magis. “We definitely lived by the mantra [of] magis, which is to do more, to give more, try a little harder, give a little bit more, fight harder and be more than what we can be,” mentioned Esteban.
With their renewed mentality, the Lady Eagles defied all odds as they hauled in three golds and three bronze medals in the tournament. Two of those golds came from Esteban’s stellar performances in the individual foil and individual saber events.
As a foilist, Esteban shared that winning the gold in the individual sabre event was a stand-out memory from Season 81. Although she rigorously trained to handle a sabre blade prior to the tournament, Esteban recounted her struggles in the poules. However, a pep talk from Coach Edward Daliva was all Esteban needed to regain her confidence. “When I came back into the piste, I was a totally different fencer. I felt like a professional saberist,” Esteban stated.
Matched up against saberists from the national team, Esteban exhibited her skills and went on to win every single bout thereafter, injecting newfound confidence into her teammates that swung the momentum in the Lady Eagles’ favor.
“It was the most defining moment of the championship run. I remember Coach Edward screaming behind me and my teammates cheering their hearts out. The bouts in the hall came to a halt and all attention was on our finals match. It was unbelievable,” said the rookie MVP.
“[The championship] confirmed that Ateneo is not just a university of excellence in the academe but also in sports as well.”
Rookie MVP Maxine Esteban
