THE ATENEO Fencing Team (AFeT) copped one last medal on the final day of their University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 campaign, this time in the Women’s Sabre Team category. The last set of matches were held earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.
Women’s Team Épée
The concluding day of the tournament began with the Atenean trio of Yelena Martinez, Team Captain Francesca Bernabe, and AJ Palo, who took on the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons.
Martinez hit a snag early on against UP’s Julianna Balesteros, who wasted no time in claiming momentum, 0-5. Although skipper Bernabe hustled to close the gap in the next bout against Careese Gepuela, 6-4, the Fighting Maroons quickly responded to keep their lead, 15-9.
In the fifth bout, Palo struggled to overtake Balesteros, surrendering a 1-5 rally that placed the Blue Eagles at a 13-25 disadvantage. While Bernabe doubled her efforts against Mariel Flores, 5-1, the Blue Eagles still faced an eight-point deficit, 18-26.
Palo then fell to Gepuela, who impressively added to UP’s advantage by nine touches against the Atenean’s three. Meanwhile, Flores and Balesteros claimed the team victory over Martinez and Bernabe, respectively, 45-28.
Men’s Team Foil
In the Men’s Team’s final event, the Blue Eagles deployed Jaime Viceo, Angelo Torres, Andre Agatep, and Raphael Jimenez in hopes of outclassing the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Fencers.
Viceo, the lone victor of the team, shone for Ateneo after controlling the opening bout against UST’s Paul Paxsan, 5-2. On the flipside, Tiger Fencers Joseph Amores, Marrke Abaygar, and Pasan immediately countered Ateneo’s trio with a dominant performance in the succeeding bouts to thrust their camp into a 20-8 lead.
Despite Ateneo absorbing a fatal team blow, Viceo maintained his ground upon facing Abaygar in the fifth bout. The Blue Eagle put on a commanding performance with a 10-3 outing to propel his team back into winning spirits and narrow the gap to 18-23.
Looking to keep this momentum alive, Torres faced Abaygar in the seventh bout, but the Atenean faltered in a 5-1 outing that extended UST’s lead to 35-19. Meanwhile, the eighth bout saw a tight 5-4 battle between Pasan and Agatep that ultimately had the Tiger Fencers reinforcing their advantage, 40-23.
The final bout contested by Viceo and Amores closed on a rather positive note for the Katipunan-based squad, 8-5. However, the Blue and White ultimately failed to catch up to their España-based counterparts, 31-45.
Women’s Team Sabre
With an automatic bye from the quarterfinals, the AFeT found themselves thrusted into the semifinals of the Sabre Team category with a medal already guaranteed. However, in their last matchup of the season, the Blue Eagles were ultimately subdued by the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors.
Facing a 10-point deficit after two bouts, Patricia Cablay failed to match the Lady Warriors’ rhythm despite Ateneo’s attempts to spark a comeback, 5-15. UE remained consistent on the piste in their succeeding clashes to contain the Blue Eagles by five points each.
Ateneo then succumbed to a 24-point deficit by the seventh bout, eventually taking another bronze with their loss upon the end of the duel, 15-45.
Concluding Season 87 with both the Men’s and Women’s Teams finishing with two bronzes each for fifth place, the AFeT will look toward building on the momentum they established throughout this year’s tilt.
As the future looks bright with stars like Agatep and Dela Serna bagging individual medals for the season, the Blue Eagles hope to be back and better in their next return to the collegiate piste.
Final Medal Tally (Gold-Silver-Bronze Medals):
Men’s Division:
- UE Red Warriors (3-3-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-1-2)
- DLSU Green Fencers (1-0-4)
- UST Tiger Fencers (0-2-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-0-2)
Women’s Division:
- UST Lady Fencers (3-3-1)
- UE Lady Warriors (2-2-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-1-4)
- DLSU Lady Fencers (0-0-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-0-2)
