Fil-Am Fencing World Champion set for homecoming visit

Lee Kiefer after finally claiming the FIE World Championship earlier this month in Tbilisi. (c/o FIE)

Fresh from their recent international success, noted fencing couple Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt are paying it forward in sharing their talent and knowledge to the next generation.

The American duo are set to visit the Philippines at the end of the month for a one-day camp, in collaboration with the Philippine Fencing Association, as well as Alabang Fencing and Canlas Fencing.

National team coach Amatov Canlas shares that it is a, "... Dream come true for the Philippine fencing community." He thankfully adds, "... natupad din yun dasal ko na someday bibisita sya sa Pilipinas at ma-inspire nya pa lalo ang mga Filipino youth fencers na mag pursige at mangarap ng mas mataas sa napili nila sports."

Said camp, which is tailored for fencers of all levels who are at least ten years of age, will take place on August 28 at the Fencing Hall inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City, from 5-8pm.

It provides a rare opportunity to train with Lee, who is the first American fencer to win an Olympic gold medal in foil and is coming off securing an impressive World Championship a few weeks ago, becoming the first American woman to win gold in individual foil. Participants will also get the chance to pick the mind of her husband Gerek, who is a five-time Olympian and a two-time medalist for Team USA.

Those interested can register through this link -> https://forms.gle/cxQk1bwr6KuoyZfJ7

For inquiries, one can message Coach Dolly of Alabang Fencing at 0966-7896623. 

The next day, Lee and Gerard will hold a meet and greet at the Hexagon Lounge inside RCBC Plaza in Makati at 6-8pm. This event is open for everyone and will be an evening of stories, inspiration, and connection in a more personal setting.

Kiefer, whose Filipino roots come from her mother Teresa via Tagum City, has long expressed pride in her roots. She is one of the 25 honorees for the 2021 edition of The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) Awards.

She shared to Alex Abrams back in 2022, "After I won that last touch and had that medal on (in Tokyo), I received so much outpouring from the Philippines, from the Filipino community, the whole Asian American community," Kiefer said. "Yeah, I was so proud to be able to do that for all of these people. …" 

"I’m half-Filipino, and growing up I saw these Asian women in my sport who looked like me. And so to be able to be like, whoa, to be that for other people was really special."

Her visit marks a meaningful homecoming and a chance to give back to the community.

Event Details

Event	Date & Time	Location	Fee
Foil Camp	August 28, 5:00–8:00 PM	PSC Fencing Hall, Pasig City	$100
Meet & Greet	August 29, 6:00–8:00 PM	Hexagon Lounge, RCBC Plaza, Makati	Free (optional dinner available)

Larrazabal stamps class in UAAP fencing debut

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Fencing Medal Tally
(G-S-B)

Men's

UP 1-0-1
DLSU 1-0-0
UE 0-1-1
UST 0-1-1
Ateneo 0-0-1

Women's

UST 2-0-0
UP 0-1-2
UE 0-1-1
DLSU 0-0-1
Ateneo 0-0-0

Boys'

UE 3-1-1
UST 0-1-3
Ateneo 0-1-2
DLSZ 0-0-0
UPIS 0-0-0

Girls'

UST 1-1-0
UE 1-0-3
DLSZ 0-1-1
Ateneo 0-0-0

In her collegiate debut, Alexal Larrazabal stamped her class in the women's individual epee for the University of Santo Tomas in the second day of the UAAP Season 87 Fencing Championships Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The freshman claimed the gold after defeating Andrea Matias of the University of the East, 15-10, in the final, capping off the morning session. Already part of the national team pool, she made her case in the knockout rounds by dispatching two La Salle fencers back-to-back, first taking out Krups Ednilag, 15-6, and Cyrra Vergara, 15-8.

She succeeds fellow Ormoc native Juliana Gomez, who won this event the last couple of seasons after it was brought back post-pandemic. The UP graduate opted to sit out this season to focus on national team aspirations.

Alexa was very much appreciative of the support she received on her path to triumph. She says, "Wow, so many people supported me; and I'm so happy that it's my first year, and I did not expect to get number one at all. I would like to thank Coach Arman (Bernal); he was there the whole competition, coaching me by my side. There are so many coaches that I would like to thank, and you're all very important to me."

Fresh from yesterday's foil gold from Janna Catantan, Larrazabal adds, "I'm so happy (for her), and I'm so glad to be teammates with ate Yssah; she's a good fencer. And I'm also happy that I was able to give another gold medal to UST."

With these two golds, UST has widened its gap on the field, which sees defending champions the University of the East stumble out of the gate in third place with Matias' runner-up finish.

Sneaking into second place are the Fighting Maroons, who snapped up a bronze in the morning after Juliana Ballesteros ensured a semifinal spot by nipping Jaymi delos Santos, 15-14 in the quarters.

La Salle also officially entered into the medal tally with Vergara tallying a bronze, defeating Bhea Raguin of UST in the quarters, 15-9, before bowing to Larrazabal in the semifinals.

In Boys' action, James Lim put UE at the cusp of clinching the division for the thirteenth straight season with his individual foil title to add to his silver yesterday on sabre.

After dispatching back-to-back Ateneo fencers in consecutive rounds to secure a finals berth (15-0 over Albert Pascua and 15-6 over Derek Perez), last year's Most Valuable Player took care of business against Rayne Maravilla to secure the title, 15-7.

He shared afterwards, "Sobrang importante po na nakuha ko 'yung gold na 'to kasi makakatulong po 'to para mag-champion po uli kami. We hope na yung girls', men's, and women's teams makuha din po nila 'yung championship."

In the process, Lim completes the individual sweep in the division for the Junior Warriors, with Gale taking care of epee and Khiane Felipe on sabre yesterday.

He adds, "Masaya po kami na nakuha namin 'yung golds sa epee, foil, and sabre. Hopefully, makuha pa rin sa Thursday and Friday 'yung teams. Kasi 'yung goal namin is a pa-13-peat kami, kaya gusto namin talagang kunin 'yung championship. Less pressure na lang rin siguro dahil nakuha na namin 'yung tatlong golds sa individual."

Also earning a medal is Angel Aberilla from UST, who lost to his teammate Maravilla, 15-14, to secure the bronze.

Completing the morning session on the second day is the girls' sabre, where Liah Gilliana of the University of Santo Tomas outpointed her teammate Kathleen Tuy, 15-14.

The Espana-based fencers set up the matchup by defeating their opponents from the University of the East in the semifinals to ensure they finish on top of the division.

Gillana stunned fellow youth standout Sophia Catantan, 15-10, while Kathleen, the younger sister of collegiate standouts Kim and Krystal, edged out Nicol Canlas, 15-14.

Liah says about their feat, "Actually, in-expect ko naman po kasi sa sabre, malakas naman kami, and ever since we've been conditioning ourselves, putting our minds and thoughts in this. Proud na proud rin kami na nakabawi na kami and maganda rin naman 'yung performance namin. Hopefully, we will see it din in the future competitions."

The two bronzes complement the gold and bronze UE netted yesterday to put them in second place.

UP secures gold in Miggy Bautista's return to collegiate fencing

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Fencing Medal Tally
(G-S-B)

Men's
UP 1-0-1
DLSU 1-0-0
UE 0-1-1
UST 0-1-1
Ateneo 0-0-1

Women's
UST 1-0-0
UP 0-1-1
UE 0-0-1
Ateneo 0-0-0
DLSU 0-0-0

Boys'
UE 2-1-1
Ateneo 0-1-1
UST 0-0-2
DLSZ 0-0-0
UPIS 0-0-0

Girls'
UE 1-0-1
DLSZ 0-1-1
UST 0-0-0
Ateneo 0-0-0

After five years, Miggy Bautista's return to the UAAP is a successful one, as the Rookie of the Year back in Season 82 for Ateneo de Manila clinched the individual title in men's epee in dramatic fashion at the league's Season 87 Fencing Championships at Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday afternoon.

Now representing the University of the Philippines, Bautista improved on his silver finish then with a gold medal this time, nipping reigning league MVP Nicollei Felipe, 15-14.

Also part of the national team pool, the 23-year-old shares, "It feels really good to be back in the UAAP after five years. I miss the energy; the last time I'm playing here, I was playing for Ateneo and got the silver medal. Buti na lang I was able to come back and do better this year."

He acknowledges that there is still room for improvement, "Actually, if I have to rate my performance, it was very mid. Maybe it's six out of ten, compared to what I feel like I can do. I'm just glad to have the emotional and mental resilience to focus and win the bout even after being down."

Before setting up his match against his fellow national team member, Bautista outlasted Adam Putian of the University of Santo Tomas in the quarterfinals, 15-13, before defeating fellow Maroon John Dexter Ramos, 15-9.

Completing the podium is Kieth Bernal from the University of Santo Tomas, who lost to Felipe in the semifinals, 8-15, to secure a bronze finish with Ramos.

The University of the East ensured its stranglehold atop the boys division after Khiane Felipe topped fellow Junior Warrior James Lim in individual sabre, 15-13.

It was UE's second gold in as many events, after Brynt Gale topped the individual epee earlier in the day.

Sharing his thoughts afterwards, the seventeen-year-old from San Francisco Elementary School says, "Naka-relieve po kami sa kaba kasi dini-defend nga po namin 'yung title namin na 12-peat, so mas mas madali sa 'ming ma-secure 'yung championship dahil nakuha namin 'tong two golds."

Felipe adds, "Importante talaga sa 'ming ma-defend siya kasi nagsimula siya hindi naman sa 'min, kundi sa seniors namin. Kaya hindi lang sa 'min magiging masakit kung mawala, sa kanila rin."

Sebastian Aceron of Ateneo de Manila and Eilrach Sendico of the University of Santo Tomas claimed the bronze medals after bowing out of the semifinals against their respective Junior Warriors opponents.

Completing the afternoon session saw Sophia Catantan showcase her dominance in girls' individual foil for the University of the East.

After just allowing one point combined in pool play, the youth standout took care of business against Rana Rafael of Ateneo de Manila, 15-3 in the quarterfinals, then dispatched fellow Junior Warrior Willa Galvez, 15-5 in the semifinals.

She then capped it off with a 15-4 victory over Zobel fencer and fellow national team youth standout Miyake Capina, 15-4.

Opao took note of her sister's feat earlier in the day and hoped she could keep that going. She says, "Siyempre na-boost po 'yung mood ko na nag-gold si ate; inisip ko po na sana ako rin. Sobrang nag-enjoy lang po talaga ko today, wala akong inisip na kaba or pressure. Ginawa ko lang po kung paano ako maglaro."

Capina had defeated teammate Martina Baccay in the semifinal, 15-12, ensuring UE and Zobel corner all the medals in this particular discipline.

The remaining individual disciplines will take to the pistes tomorrow at the same venue.

Jannah Catantan reclaims UAAP women's foil title

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Fencing Medal Tally
(G-S-B)

Men's
DLSU 1-0-0
UST 0-1-0
Ateneo 0-0-1
UE 0-0-1
UP 0-0-0

Women's
UST 1-0-0
UP 0-1-1
UE 0-0-1
Ateneo 0-0-0
DLSU 0-0-0

Boys'
UE 1-0-1
Ateneo 0-1-0
UST 0-0-1
DLSZ 0-0-0
UPIS 0-0-0

JANNAH Catantan reclaimed the women’s individual foil title to propel University of Santo Tomas to the early lead in the women’s division of the UAAP Season 87 Fencing Championships, Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila, highlighting the morning session of the competition.

The Atletang Ayala and national team standout dominated the field, capping off her impressive run with a clinical 15-3 win over defending champion Nana Carbonell of University of the Philippines in the final to earn her second title in the discipline.

On her way to completing the sweep, Catantan blanked Ateneo de Manila's Bea Ursolino, 15-0, before dispatching reigning league MVP Queenie Dalmacio of the University of the East, 15-8 in the semifinals.

"Pinaka lesson na natutunan ko last year is not to pressure myself too much. Physically, technically, wala talaga rin ako masyadong binago, it's more on mentally preparing myself kasi po alam ko do'n talaga ko nagkulang — mentally and emotionally — last year. And kaya heading into this competition, ang preparation ko talaga is not to be too hard on myself, taking time to rest especially if hindi po talaga kaya. And it works," said the 32nd Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist.

("The biggest lesson I learned last year is not to pressure myself too much. Physically and technically, I didn’t really change much — it was more about mentally preparing myself, because I knew that’s where I really fell short last year — mentally and emotionally. So heading into this competition, my preparation was really about not being too hard on myself, allowing myself to rest especially when I really couldn’t push anymore. And it works.")

"Mabuti rin po na na-realize ko po 'yon kasi even before I feel like I'm really pressuring myself too much when, in fact, naco-compromise na po 'yung performance. Kaya 'yon, naging mabait lang po talaga ako sa sarili ko," she added.

("It’s also a good thing that I realized that, because even before, I felt like I was really putting too much pressure on myself, and in fact, it was already compromising my performance. So yeah, I just chose to be kinder to myself.")

Carbonell, who lost to Catantan in pool play, 2-5, earned her spot in the final by dispatching Yelena Martinez of Ateneo, 15-2, in the quarterfinals, and then outpointing Mariel Flores in an all-UP matchup, 15-4.

Flores and Dalmacio shared bronze medals as a result of their semifinal appearances.

On the men's side, De La Salle University’s Christian Buenaventura pulled off a thrilling upset over UST’s reigning back-to-back men’s sabre champion Eunice Villanueva with a 15-14 victory in the final, putting the Green Fencers ahead.

Villanueva battled back to tie things at 14-all, but his hopes for a threepeat were neutralized after the 24-year-old senior held his nerve and landed a decisive counter to seal the win.

"When he was able to tie the match, that shook me a little bit, especially when I thought the touch before that was mine. In the end, I kind of went back to what I was saying before: to reset and think about what to do next, and was able to focus on what I need," shared Buenaventura.

"After the previous three years, in my mind, it's about time (I got one). I feel like in the previous years, I underperformed, but this time, I finally performed the way I should," he added.

Sharing the bronze after bowing out in the semifinals are Charles Babatio of the University of the East and Andre Agatep of Ateneo de Manila University.

Capping off the morning session is Brynt Gale's triumph in the boys' individual epee to kickstart UE's hopes to extend their reign in the division for a thirteenth straight campaign.

Brynt matched his brother Von Eubert's feat with a 15-10 victory over Ateneo High School's Samuel Gatmaytan in the final.

"Masaya po kasi nakakuha ako ng gold and nakatulong ako sa university namin. And sana proud siya (referring to his brother) na nakuha ko rin 'yung gold katulad niya," Gale said.

("I'm happy because I was able to win a gold medal and help our university. And I hope he's proud (referring to his brother) that I also won a gold just like he did.")

UST’s John Malinao and UE’s Ruzel Gallano secured the remaining bronze medals.

UE aims for historic fourth straight UAAP fencing sweep

c/o UAAP Media Team

UNIVERSITY of the East looks to extend its dominance in the sport as it aims for a fourth consecutive quadruple championship when the UAAP Season 87 Fencing Championships begin Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila.

The Red Warriors are gunning for their 13th straight title in the Boys’ division—currently the longest active championship streak in the league. The Men's and Girls’ squads will each aim for an 11th consecutive crown, while the Women’s team is eyeing a four-peat.

Reigning MVP Nicollei Felipe will lead the charge for UE’s Men's squad, which remains the heavy favorite in the epee and foil events. Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas will rely on back-to-back individual sabre champion Eunice Villanueva to make his mark once again.

University of the Philippines remains a strong contender, particularly in the epee category, bolstered by the anticipated debut of UAAP Season 82 Rookie of the Year and national team standout Miggy Bautista in maroon colors.

Four-time MVP Queenie Dalmacio will spearhead UE’s Women’s squad for the final time, as she sets her sights on a fourth individual sabre gold. At the same time, Nana Carbonell is expected to step up and fill the gap left by Juliana Gomez’s departure, taking on a leadership role for UP.

UST is also expected to make a strong push for podium finishes, with Jannah Catantan eyeing redemption in the individual foil after yielding the gold to Carbonell last season.

De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University are also hoping to make a splash and pull off some surprises during the tournament.

In the Juniors division, UAAP Season 85 MVP James Lim and UAAP Season 86 MVP Opao Catantan will once again suit up for the Junior Warriors, defending the Boys' and Girls' titles, respectively.

The competition kicks off today with individual events in Boys’ Epee, Men’s Sabre, and Women’s Foil in the morning session. The afternoon will feature Girls’ Foil, Boys’ Sabre, and Men’s Epee. On Wednesday, the action continues with Boys’ Foil, Girls’ Sabre, and Women’s Epee, concluding with Women’s Sabre, Men’s Foil, and Girls’ Epee to wrap up the individual events.

The same schedule will be repeated over the following two days, this time for the team events.

National Team bets claim first leg of PFA Ranking Tournament

c/o Araneta City

This past weekend saw the best of the best fencers in the country flock to the Quantum Skyview of Gateway Mall 2 to compete in the first leg of the ranking tournaments of the Philippine Fencing Association.

All three disciplines were featured, with national team members establish their initial dominance.

It started with the men on Saturday, highlighted by pool members taking three of the four semifinal spots in both sabre and foil.

Nathaniel Perez defeated fellow Atletang Ayala and pool member Sammuel Tranquilan in the final of the latter, 15-8. Joining them in the podium are losing semifinalists Louis Shoemaker and pool member Shawn Felipe. All four also happen to represent the University of the East.

As for the former, CJ Concepcion dispatched Eunice Villanueva in an all-pool member final, 15-7.  Kurt Maruquez managed to eke into the semifinals by defeating UE fencer Charles Babatio, 15-10 before the La Salle fencer lost to Villanueva in the semifinals, 11-15. Khiane Felipe also earned a semifinal spot before bowing to Concepcion, 11-15.

Sean Patrick Lauron managed to escape the national team gauntlet by topping the epee discipline. Representing Oblation Fencing, he dispatched Noelito Jose, Jr, 15-14, in the final, with Lee Ergina and Ruzzel Gallano completing the semifinalists.

Sunday was not much different, with all three discipline featuring national team stalwarts in all finals matchups.

Alexa Larrazabal outpointed Ashley Harrison in epee, 15-13, while Atletang Ayala's Janna Catantan outperformed Wilhelmina Lozada, 15-12, and Jylyn Nicanor dominated reigning two-time UAAP MVP Queen Dalmacio,  15-3.

Second leg action is scheduled to take place next month at the Alabang Town Center.

PFA commences ranking tournaments for 2025

c/o Araneta City

Fencers took to the piste at the Quantum Skyview at Gateway Mall 2, with the first leg of the ranking tournaments for the Philippine Fencing Association.

This past weekend saw action in the Cadet (U17) divisions on Saturday, while it was the turn of Junior (U20) division on Sunday. Both feature men and women in all three disciplines participating.

Noted powerhouse Canlas Fencing made early headway on Saturday, with its members topping three divisions in Cadet play.

Oscar Gabriel del Castillo started things off by nipping Yllac Guinto of Bladesmith Fencing Club, 15-14 to claim the men's epee title. Matt Mayo (Republic Fencing) and Ian Miranda (UST) ended up on the podium.

In an all-Canlas Fencing final, James Limuel Lim topped Brynt Gale, 15-10, with Derek Perez (Ateneo) and Lucas Palafox (PAREF-Southridge) completing the top four in men's foil. Lim and Gale are also representing the University of the East in a dual capacity in the competition

The other Canlas Fencing champion turned out to be Ivana Salvador, who fended off teammate Jickle Ong, 15-13, women's epee. Another teammate in Nina Canlas, who also is representing UE, joined them in the podium with Solana Trinidad (Ezkrima).

Canlas Fencing also snapped up two more podium spots, with Nicol Canlas (dual representation with UE) at women's sabre and Jada Divinagracia (dual representation with the Multiple Intelligence International School) at women's foil.

Canlas lost to eventual champion Kathleen Tuy of the University of Santo Tomas in the semifinals, 9-15, with Tuy defeating fellow Tiger fencer Ma. Estelliah Gillana, 15-6 in the final. Gillana got a free pass to the final after UE fencer Kirsten Shanelle Catantan had to withdraw in the semifinals due to medical reasons.

Divinagracia bowed to Sophia Catantan in the semifinals, 7-15. The two-time UAAP MVP in the girls division dispatched Hannah Belarmino, 11-6 to claim the crown. Completing the quartet is Regina Pascual of Republic Fencing.

Capping off Saturday action is Eilrahc Sendico outlasting a strong Ateneo contingent in the men's sabre. The UST fencer dispatched Blue Eagle Julian Rosaros in the semifinals, 15-13, before outlasting Julian's teammate Mairon Moulic, 15-14. Moulic had beaten Matthew General in an all-Loyola Heights matchup, 15-9.

Meanwhile on Sunday, perennial powerhouse UE claimed three divisions in the older Juniors division, while Canlas Fencing continued its excellence with podium representation in four divisions.

Reigning UAAP Boys MVP Louis Shoemaker claimed men's foil title with a 15-10 victory over the aforementioned Canlas fencer Marcus Manuel. Lim and Gale followed up their previous day's efforts with a semifinal appearance.

Ramil Encelan Jr prevented Del Castillo an opportunity for a double gold with 15-14 victory in their semifinal matchup in men's epee. The Red Warrior then kickstarted the title proceedings with a 15-10 victory over Jose Faber Cabrera. Cabrera prevented an all-Recto final by beating Von Gale in the other semifinal, 15-10.

The last UE fencer to win this weekend was thanks to Khiane Felipe in men's sabre. Felipe, who is also representing the national team in this tournament, defeated fellow national team stalwart Christian Concepcion in the final, 15-8. Reigning UAAP individual champion Charles Babatio lost to Concepcion in the semifinals, 12-15 to join Vito Coching of La Salle-Zobel as losing semifinalists.

Gillana would extract revenge against Tuy the next day with a dominant 15-5 performance in the semifinals for women's sabre. She then outpointed Kathleen's sister Krystal, 15-14 in an all-UST final. The other Tuy also won 15-5 in the semifinal against UE's Shareen Beltran.

Salvador and Catantan also were denied the opportunity to claim double golds, as both were stunned in the quarterfinals of their respective disciplines.

Belarmino upset the former, 15-14 in women's epee, but lost in the next round to eventual champion Julianna Ballesteros, 12-13. The fencer from UP Diliman topped Nina Canlas, 15-13 to claim the title.

As for the latter, Miyake Capina of La Salle-Zobel pulled off an impressive 15-9 triumph, eventually securing the women's foil title with 15-7 victories over Willa Galvez of the University of the East in the semifinals and Victoria Ebdane of Canlas Fencing and Home School Global in the final.

Fencing activities in Gateway are set to resume this weekend, with Senior Division fencers set to take to the piste.

UE at cusp towards title retention

c/o UAAP

The first day of team competition saw the University of the East set themselves up for potentially another complete sweep of the fencing divisions of the UAAP Season 86 tournament Saturday.

The men's division saw the defending champions and their most likely challengers claim gold medals in two of the three disciples.

The Red Warriors defeated the University of the Philippines, 45-37 in the men's epee final, behind the efforts of RJ Perez, Aurell Obnuzar, Ramil Encilan, Jr., and Nicollei Felipe.

Claiming the bronzes in this event are the University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University.

The Tiger Fencers, comprised of Eunice Villanueva, Junior Fuenzalida, Kurt Marquez, and Larco Cortez, kept their slim hopes of potentially denying a tenth straight title from going to Recto by winning the men's sabre final, 45-37.

The Green Fencers led, 30-21 Larc Cortez scored twelve points for the hosts to cut the deficit to just 33-35. Marquez then outpointed John Michael Gajon, 7-1, to give UST a 40-36 lead, with individual champion Villanueva finishing off the match.

Settling for bronze medals in this event are UP and Ateneo.

With the foil disciple still left to be played, UE still leads UST, as the former has two gold and two silver medals, and the latter has two golds and two bronze medals.

For the women's division, UE claimed the lone discipline schedule, as they dominated against the UP, 45-29.

Andrea Matias outscored Nami Noro, 9-4, to convert an 11-13 deficit into a 20-17 lead and the Lady Warriors never looked back. scoring the necessary five points each from their next five matchups by her teammates Queen Dalmacio, and Eytria Olarte to clinch the title.

The Fighting Maroons still maintain hold on first place with a 2-1-2 tally, just edging out the defending champions by a single bronze.

Hosts UST are still in third with a silver and two bronze medals.

In the high school ranks, UE officially locked in the boys division by winning both events scheduled.

The quartet of Von Gale, Louie Shoemaker, Aljor Contado, and Ruzel Gallano defeated Angel Aberilla, Nathaniel Bernal, Armand Putian, and Christian Sarmineto, 30-29. Gallano locked in the title for the Junior Warriors by matching Armand Putian's eight points in their matchup.

Charles Babatio, Christian Concepcion, and Khiane Felipe took their turns in mastering Ateneo, 45-20.

La Salle-Zobel took bronzes in both events, sharing the epee with Ateneo and the sabre with UST.

In the lone discipline for the girls' division, La Salle-Zobel claimed the gold medal, fending off UE, 45-44 and preventing the Junior Warriors from potentially sweeping all high school disciplines.

With Opao Catantan giving UE a 30-24 lead after outpointing Venice Villenas, 8-1, La Salle-Zobel countered with an 11-2 burst from Martina Baccay against Willa Galvez to retake the lead at 35-32.

Villenas bounced back with a 5-4 result against Aubrey Fernandez, and in a mini-rematch from the individual final, Miyake Capina held off a game effort from Catantan to secure the gold.

Juliana Gomez repeats in epee, UP remains ahead in women's fencing

c/o UAAP

The University of the Philippines put themselves into a good position to break the stranglehold of the University of the East in women's fencing, thanks to their two-medal haul in Day 2 of the UAAP tournament at the Quadricentennial Pavilion inside the University of Santo Tomas campus on Friday.

Their first medal came from epee, with a successful title defense from Juliana Gomez.

The second-generation fencer pulled off a come-from-behind victory against Cyrra Vergara, 15-14, in a rematch of their Season 85 final.

Gomez shared afterwards, "I feel like I just hit a bull's eye because the target was the gold, but I was able to add to what Nana Carbonell did during the first day. It was honestly such a great feeling that we have a good chance of winning the overall for the women's."

Angela Dayro added a bronze for the Fighting Maroons in the individual sabre, allowing them to match Carbonell and Nami Noro's feats the day before.

Their two-gold and two-bronze total keeps them ahead of the University of the East, who notched their first gold in the division through a successful sabre title defense for Queen Dalmacio.

The two-time MVP had a tough road to the final, eking out a 15-13 win over UST's Kim Shaznee Tuy in the quarterfinals and a 15-11 win over Ateneo's Kaku dela Serna in the semifinal.

In the final, however, she manage to replicate her feat last season by defeating Janna Allysah Catantan, 15-7.

Janna's silver medal puts the hosts on level terms with La Salle in third place, with Vergara's silver and Krups Edlinag's bronze from epee allows the fencers from Taft to enter the fray.

Dela Serna's bronze for the Blue Eagles puts them on the board.

As for the men's division, UST was unable to capitalize on their momentum from Thursday, as defending champions UE and La Salle leapfrogged the Tiger Fencers with their performances in foil.

Shawn Nicollei Felipe took down Robert Cabaero, in an all-UE final, 15-8. The two took down their respective Green Fencer opposition in the semifinals to forge a beneficial final for their title retention hopes.

Felipe dispatched Jose Lorenzo Mercado, 15-6, while Cabaero beat Reindelle Lacerna, 15-9.

Even with the defeats, La Salle moved ahead of the hosts with the two bronzes alongside the gold they secured on Thursday in epee.

As for the high school division, the University of the East looks poised to extend their long reign due to their triumphs on Friday.

Opao Catantan kicked things off in the morning with a 15-12 final against compatriot Adrienne Lising in girls sabre, while Aubrey Fernandez did the same in the afternoon against Nina Canlas, 15-9 in girls' epee.

Louis Shoemaker and James Lim matched that in the boys' foil, with the former emerging as a 15-8 winner.

The Tuy siblings, Krystal and Kathleen, secured bronzes for UST, but they remain third behind La Salle in the girls' division as Miyake Capina and Martina Baccay also netted bronzes.

Both UST and Ateneo got their third bronzes through the efforts of Angel Aberilla and Derek Perez.

Saturday action at the same venue kicks off team play, with the morning session featuring boys' epee, women's foil, and men's sabre. Completing the slate in the afternoon are men's epee, girls' foil, and boys' sabre.

UST, UP make early collegiate fencing headway

c/o UAAP

The collegiate field seems ready to finally challenge the University of the East's dominance.

Day 1 of the UAAP Season 86 Fencing Championships kicked off on Thursday, with a successful title defense for Eunice Villanueva in the men's sabre.

The Tiger Fencer breezed through by sweeping the field in pool play, dispatching John Michael Gajon of La Salle in the quarterfinals, 15-1, then survived two Blue Eagles in the medal matches. He took out Andre Agatep in the semifinals, 15-11, and then outperformed Toby Cabrera in the final. 15-4.

When asked about how he managed to defend his title, the 24-year-old shares, "Ang ginawa ko lang talaga kanina ay nagdasal at nag-focus lang po ako."

His gold, combined with Adam Putian's bronze finish in the epee, means the hosts set the early pace in the race for the men's title, which would be the fourth one in their history.

Being able to pull that off is something Villanueva and the rest of his teammates want to accomplish. He says, "Gusto talaga naming maging kampeon. Susubukan naming panatilihin ito hanggang matapos."

Edan Ensamtan claimed the epee gold in the other men's division scheduled, defeating UE's Aurell Obzunar, 15-8 in the final. The Green Fencer's title moved them just behind UST in the title race, with Ateneo's silver and bronze in sabre putting them in third.

In the women's side, Nana Carbonell claimed the lone title scheduled, dispatching Eytria Olarte of the University of the East in the foil final, 15-12.

Olarte produced a stunning upset in the semifinals by claiming a 15-11 triumph over Janna Catantan of UST, while Carbonell easily dispatched fellow Maroon Nami Noro, 15-5.

Getting both fencers into the medal bouts allows UP to get a head start in the women's title race, with their defending champion in epee Juliana Gomez set to participate later Friday.

UE got better news in the high school ranks, thanks to a 1-2 finish in the boys' sabre by Charles Babatio and Khiane Felipe. The former claimed the title with a 15-11 victory.

Chasing the Juniors Warriors and hoping to prevent their decade-long dominance is the University of Santo Tomas, who earned the epee gold with a 15-7 victory by Armand Putian over Von Eubert Gale. The hosts also snagged a bronze thanks to an all-UST semifinal with the younger Putian dispatching Christian Sarmiento, 15-8.

Opao Catantan won the lone girls event scheduled, as the Junior Warrior fought off a game effort from Miyake Capina of La Salle-Zobel, in the foil final, 15-12.

Capina bounced back from going 1-2 in her first three pool matches to snatch the third seed, then survived the UST duo of Krystal Tuy (15-7 in the quarterfinals) and Patricia Daradar (15-8 in the semifinals) to set up a rematch against Catantan.

Aubrey Fernandez claimed the other bronze after she fell short against Catantan in an all-UE pairing.

The remaining individual matches will be decided all day Friday, with the morning session involving the girls' sabre, boys' foil, and women's epee. Capping off afternoon action are women's sabre, men's foil, and girls' epee.

In a first, the tournament will be streamed LIVE through Pilipinas Live, available online or through their app.

UE seeks to extend fencing reign

c/o UAAP

The University of the East is seeking to continue their dominance in fencing when the UAAP Season 86 Fencing Championships kick off on Thursday at the Quadricentennial Pavilion inside the campus of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

Individual champions will be crowned on Thursday and Friday for all disciplines, with the teams competition slated for the weekend. By Sunday afternoon, the overall champions in men's, women's, boys', and girls' are to be known.

The Red Warriors are the defending champions in all four divisions, having defended the men's, boys', and girls' titles for at least a decade. The Lady Warriors are seeking a third straight title in the women's division, with their long illustrious streak being interrupted the efforts of Ateneo de Manila and then Rookie-MVP Maxine Esteban back in Season 81.

For UE this season, the team will be led by its national team stalwarts Queen Dalmacio and Reynaldo Perez Jr, as well as last season's co-Rookie-MVP Shawn Nicollei Felipe, whose events will take place on Thursday.

Dalmacio will have to contend against Janna Allysah Catantan of the University of Santo Tomas in the women's foil and sabre. Catantan, whose elder sister Samantha is the team captain of the fencing team powerhouse Penn State in the US NCAA, is also set to take part in epee, where last season's gold medalist, Juliana Gomez of the University of the Philippines, is ready for a title defense.

Perez will have to deal with the likes of Lorenzo Malvar of the University of the Philippines in the men's sabre. 

Felipe, on the other hand, will be on hand for both epee and foil, with the latter to be held on Friday.

As for the high school ranks, the Junior Warriors will rely on their holdovers Louie Shoemaker and Shekinah Catantan in their hopes to extend their dominance.

Serving as challengers to UE's throne in the collegiate ranks are Ateneo, La Salle, UP, and hosts UST, while Ateneo, La Salle-Zobel, and UST pose as threats in the high school divisions.