Red Warriors start title bid in UAAP fencing
THE clashing of the swords, the stomps on the “piste” and screams from each important touché will echo once again as fencers from different schools slug it out in Season 86 of the UAAP Fencing Championship starting today at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in España, Manila.
There are questions that beg answers in this year’s four-day fencing meet of the UAAP as University of the East (UE) start their title-retention bid with the Red Warriors aiming to keep all four divisions — boy’s and girl’s in high school, as well as men’s and women’s in college.
The individual competitions in all weapons will be played on March 14 and 15, while the team events are set on March 16 and 17.
Last season, the boy’s team of UE won the championship for the 11th straight time, while the girls and men’s squads won for the ninth consecutive. As for the women’s side, it was back-to-back for the Lady Warriors. Overall, it was the 16th for men’s and 14th for the women’s.
By winning four titles, it was the eighth time in the last nine seasons that the university won all the categories.
The only time the Red Warriors missed on all four was during Season 81 when Ateneo captured the women’s championship, but UE won all four again in Season 82 before the Covid-19 pandemic happened that scratched the fencing tournament in Seasons 83 and 84.
Same as last season, UE fencing head coach Rolando “Amat” Canlas Jr. expects tougher competitions from other teams, like from University of the Philippines in men’s epee, University of Santo Tomas in girl’s and women’s sabre divisions, and Tigers’ women’s foil.
“If last year was a tough campaign for UE, this year, it’s more complicated. Mainly because other fencers have improved and other teams have beefed up their roster,” said Canlas, a former UE fencer who went on to become a national team member, and eventually a national team coach — serving from 2016 to 2022.
UE will continue to have national team mainstay Nicollei Felipe, gold medalist in men’s foil during Season 85 and co-winner of the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year with his brother Tipoy, who won the men’s epee gold last year but unfortunately will miss Season 86 due to eligibility issue.
The Felipe brothers also joined hands in powering the men’s foil team and epee team bag the gold medals last season, but with Tipoy not in the roster, it’s now up to Nicollei to carry the fight for UE.
The biggest threat for the men’s epee are the Fighting Maroons following the recruitment of rookies Dexter Ramos and Lorenzo Malvar, as they will team up with holdovers Dale Gonzales and Hijo Tan. In a pre-tournament face-off, UP edged UE in the finals late last year.