The UST Lady Fencers made history on Friday, April 25, as they finally succeeded in bringing the crown to España after 28 years, ousting the four-peat-seeking UE Lady Warriors in the UAAP Season 87 women’s fencing tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
UST achieved a 3-3-1 gold-silver-bronze medal spread to deny UE another golden quadruple. The Recto university’s team finished with a 2-2-2 tally for second place.
With two golds heading into the last event, UST’s sabre quartet of Season 87 MVP Jannah Allysa Catantan, Kristel Chacon and sisters Krystal and Kim Tuy dispatched UE’s Shareem Belteam, Queen Dalmacio, Adrienne Lising and Jaymi de los Santos, 45-40, to seal the victory.
Catantan dominated the women’s individual foil on the first day, reclaiming the gold with a commanding 15-3 victory over defending champion Marina Carbonell of UP.
Season 87 Rookie of the Year Alexa Larrazabal made an impressive UAAP debut, defeating UE’s Andrea Matias to clinch gold in women’s individual epee and keep UST ahead.
The UST women’s foil team, composed of Catantan, Patricia Mae Daradar, Ruby Kate Sardenia and Krystal Tuy, fell in a tight finals bout against UP’s Carbonel, Beatrice Fajardo, Mariel Flores and Nami Noro to settle for silver, 42-41. Tuy came up short against Dalmacio, 15-11, to also bag silver in the women’s individual sabre.
In the women’s team epee final, the squad of Catantan, Larrazabal, Kezia Chua and Bhea Raguin yielded to the Lady Warriors led by Dalmacio, Matias, Jaymi Delos Santos and Cyrille Scofield, 45-41.
“Last year, we had a chance to win the championship too. Allysa’s game was okay, and the sabre team maintained their gameplay, Alexa joined us, and that was a big help,” UST women’s sabre team head coach Donnie Navarro told The Flame.
With no players graduating this year, the roster of the Lady Fencers will remain intact next season as they eye back-to-back titles.
No podium finish for men’s team
While the Lady Fencers ended the season with a historic triumph, it was an entirely different story for the Tiger Fencers who failed to reach the podium and finished their campaign with two silver and three bronze medals.
Despite faltering in the women’s play, the Red Warriors reigned supreme in the men’s division to clinch their 11th consecutive title with three golds, three silvers and one bronze.
UP placed second with a 2-1-2 medal tally, while DLSU rounded the podium with one gold and four bronze medals.
Two-time sabre champion Eunice Daniel Villanueva fell short of a three-peat after a 15-14 painful loss to DLSU’s Christian Buenaventura.
Tiger Fencer Keith Bernal secured a bronze in the men’s individual epee with a semifinals defeat to Red Warrior Shawn Felipe in the semifinals, 15-8.
In the men’s team sabre finals, the squad of Villanueva, Larco Cortez, Lyon Fernandez and Ricardo Fuenzalida dropped their three-peat hopes after yielding to UE’s Felipe, Charles Babaito, Christian Concepion and Louis Shoemaker, 45-37.
The crew of Bernal, Adam Putian, Adam Sandler Maaño and Christian Sarmiento settled for bronze with a 45-34, yielding to UE’s Felipe, Von Gale, Aurell Obzunar and Reynaldo Perez in the semifinals of the men’s epee team event.
UST men’s foil team composed of Markke Abaygar, Joseph Amores, Paul Pasan and Jose Soyangco, suffered a tough 45-8 semifinal loss to UE’s Felipe, Shoemaker, Robert Cabaero and Ramil Encelan to settle for bronze. F – Mc Neil Zyh Serrano
