Hitting on all cylinders

By Juris Salvanera

COMING OFF a three-year lull, the Ateneo Men’s Baseball Team will finally have their chance to reclaim their throne as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 commences. However, like most teams, the Blue and White will be bannering a new set of players who will attempt to make a name for themselves come the first pitch.

As the team has its eyes set on their season debut, the Blue Eagles dove straight into rigorous training sessions and continuously enlisted in friendly games. Additionally, the Katipunan-based squad joined the 1 United Philippines Baseball tournament to ramp up their preparations and play against the UAAP opposition. Despite falling short in the preseason tilt, the Blue and White ultimately looked at this period as an opportunity to integrate their new players into Head Coach Bocc Bernardo’s system.

One player who is looking to hit the ground running is rookie Matthew San Juan. The first baseman boasts an impressive record coming out of Ateneo High School—bagging the best hitter, best slugger, and Most Valuable Player awards in Season 82 of the UAAP Juniors’ Division. However, according to San Juan, his individual success comes only second as his main motivation this year is to win the UAAP tournament with his team. “Honestly, those awards mean nothing to me if I don’t help my team win. Because above everything, I am still a person who wants a championship for my team,” San Juan shared.

Another acquisition that will further strengthen the Blue Eagles this season is the transfer of Javi Limpo to Loyola Heights. After spending a year at City College of San Francisco, the current third-year slugger will now suit up at middle infield for Ateneo. According to Limpo, his short but sweet stint in the United States enabled him to impart the things he has learned to his new squad. “We played a lot of games out there and logged a lot of training hours, so whatever I picked up there, I try to apply as well in our team,” Limpo said.

Despite this season being his first stint in the seniors division, Limpo carries with himself an assured presence to the diamond. Aside from his individual strengths, the transferee assures the Ateneo faithful that the team will do whatever it takes to capture the gold.

With a mixture of savvy veterans and talented recruits, the boys in blue bolster a formidable lineup that will be hard to beat. Thus, they will have a huge target on their backs for their opponents in the coming season. Nevertheless, expect the Blue and White to soar high as they attempt to make another deep tournament run.

Taking the shot

By Eury See

AS THE UAAP is set to commence the second-semester sports for Season 85, the Ateneo Men’s Football Team (AMFT) looks to find its footing following a three-year hiatus from the league’s Football tournament. After being crowned as the Season 81 champions, the team will now look forward to defending the esteemed title with a few adjustments on their roster and overall team dynamic.

Stepping into the competitive scene once again, the AMFT notably took part in the country’s biggest intercollegiate football tournament, Ang Liga, in the final quarter of 2022. Despite the departure of the team’s key veterans, the Blue and White proved to be quick in picking up the pieces when it came to surmounting initial woes. Amplified by impressive progress in their playing style and techniques during the league’s matches, the team was then able to book themselves a spot in the Ang Liga semifinals where they finished fourth overall.

With the arrival of fresh faces on the Ateneo turf, the Blue Eagles are working towards developing a stable groundwork for their chemistry both on and off the field. The Blue and White definitely still have a long way to go given that the majority of their lineup will be making their UAAP debut only this season. Despite this seeming impediment, they are nonetheless looking to venture on the road toward victory by fostering an environment that highlights competitiveness, tenacity, and sheer determination.

Driven by passion and perseverance, the AMFT looks to apply the things they learned in their preseason endeavors to the bigger stage–the UAAP field. Now equipped with more competition experience, the Blue and White hope to rekindle their momentum in the upcoming tournament while writing a new chapter of their story. 

“Winning the championship is one of the best feelings there is. Imparting that to [the team] will make them look forward to playing their hearts out when they’re in the game,” shared AMFT Captain Szymon Mercado.

A return to the strip

By Ethan M. Encarnacion

AFTER A three-year absence from the UAAP, the game of fencing is set to make its long-awaited comeback in Season 85. For Ateneo Men’s Fencing Team Captain Daniel Britanico and Women’s Team Captain Jesyca Khoo, the upcoming season presents an additional responsibility that is entirely new to them—being leaders of their respective squads.

Khoo debuted as a member of the Season 82 Women’s Fencing Team that saw a third-place finish after a championship upset over the University of the East Lady Warriors in the season prior. Likewise, Britanico first suited up in Season 82, netting a third-place finish in the Individual Sabre event that paved the way for the overall silver placement for the Men’s Team at the end of the tournament.

While the return of fencing in the UAAP is a welcome sight, the long-time absence of the sport brought challenges to the team’s lineups. “Most of our old players have graduated already,” says Khoo on the composition of the Men’s and Women’s Fencing Teams.

The captains detailed the lengthy method of determining who will participate in the Individual events, as well as who will be a part of the Team events. According to Britanico, the team established a ranking system to help facilitate the selection process. For the Sabre category, Britanico shared that fencers had to go through the ranking system at least three times to ensure that any finalized lineups were the best that Ateneo had to offer.

Despite the shortage of veteran fencers, the captains are more than willing to impart their battle-tested wisdom to the coming rookies. Having experienced the intensity of UAAP competition themselves, they know exactly what a fencer has to put on the table to get through an entire season.

Recalling her experiences as a rookie, Team Captain Khoo noted just how overwhelming the league could be. However, she promises to use her role as team captain as an opportunity to guide this year’s rookies to make their experience as fun as possible.

In the coming season, expect the Blue Eagles to carry a roster that is young and hungry for achievement. The finishes of both the Men’s and Women’s Teams in previous UAAP seasons suggest that there is enough firepower for a possible championship run. Team Captain Britanico is well aware of this, and it seems to be one of, if not the biggest, motivators in his penultimate season donning the blue and white.

The invigorated Britanico emphasized Ateneo’s strong desire to clinch the title: “We really just want to win. We want to win.”