They’ve got the medals. They’ve got the momentum. Now, they want the crown.

After finishing as the first runner up in the UAAP Season 86 fencing tournament, the University of Santo Tomas Fencing team returns to the piste with blades sharper and hearts set on one mission: to bring back the crown to Espana come April 22-25, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Coliseum in Pasay.

(Photo from Neiro Villaescusa /TomasinoWeb)

Making the most of their off-season tournaments, UST Sabre coach Donnie Navarro told TomasinoWeb that the team will bank on their experience as the UAAP Season 87 fencing tournament nears.

“Yung result ng off-season na tournaments namin, maganda naman,” said Navarro. “Siyempre habang nagko-compete kami, pinag-aaralan ko rin yung mga dapat yung i-adjust sa kanila. Medyo na ayos-ayos ko naman ngayon.”

(Photo by Neiro Villaescusa/TomasinoWeb)

Regardless, he emphasized that it is the players who can bring themselves to the spotlight.

“Palagi kong sinasabi, nagtuturo lang ako ng fencing, kung paano maglaro, kung paano gagawin. Pero yung pagkapanalo, kayo na yun. Kayo magdadala nun,” said the former national team player.

“‘Yung pagkatalo namin last season, kailangan natuto [kami] dun. Tapos gawin natin siyang inspiration ba,” he added. “Pag naglalaro, laging lang nag-enjoy. Pag naka-touché, naka-panalo, thank you lang kay Lord.”

(Photo from Neiro Villaescusa/TomasinoWeb)

National team fencer Ysah Catantan says that what the team needs is for them to have one mindset and one goal, which is to win the championship.

“Hindi naman kasi talaga nagkakalayo sa [ung mga players] in terms of skills. Ang problem lang din po talaga is siguro yung kailangan lahat nag-cooperate, lahat same ng mindset, lahat kami same ng goal... If lahat talaga kami mag-work, hindi lang isa, yun talaga yung pinaka possible solution para ma-reach namin yung championship,” Catantan told TomasinoWeb

Catantan said that despite her national team experience, the pressure of giving UST a fencing title is a much bigger task for her.

“Personally for me, mas nakakapressure siya on my end. Siguro kasi as a national team, iba yung expectation. Parang iniisip ng mga tao na kami yung magdominate, ganyan. Kaya parang ako din yung ngayon, yung thing na ginagawa ko, puro mentally nireready ko yung sarili ko, not just physically,” Catantan said, who claimed the gold in the team event of women’s saber category, and a bronze in women’s foil last season.

“Kasi yun lang talaga yung nagiging kalaban ko, emotionally and mentally lang talaga. Kasi in terms of physical, parang okay naman [ako],” she added.

(Photo from Neiro Villaescusa/TomasinoWeb)

Fellow national team fencer Eunice Daniel Villanueva also emphasized that the team wants to build a legacy.

“Gusto namin mag-build ng legacy. Gusto namin [makuha] ‘yung championship,” Villanueva told TomasinoWeb.

Villanueva also shared that he and the team had separate training sessions as he trains with the national team, and as the tournament nears, he wants the team to bring each other up.

“Kasi [sa] national team po ako nagte-training, hiwalay po sila [UST team] sa akin. Ngayon pong week na to, bago po UAAP, sasamahan ko po sila mag-training para mag-hatakan po kami pataas,” said Villanueva.

“Hahatakin ko po sila para maging malakas din, para lahat kami mag-gold, makuha namin yung championship this season,” he added.

(Photo from Neiro Villaescusa/TomasinoWeb)

Adam Putian, who entered the UAAP scene handling the pressure of being a rookie and UST épée’s team captain, shared that he believes that if it’s God’s will, then it will happen.

“May tiwala ko sa sarili and also may tiwala din ako sa Panginoon ko na if it's my time for this season, syempre, ibibigay Niya talaga sa akin,” said Putian, who claimed the bronze medal on last season’s men’s épée category.

Putian also shared his adjustments, on his way to his redemption arc come the season opener.

“Bumabawi ako sa training… Nag-training ako ng maigi and in-apply ko ‘yong mga teachings ni coach Armando [Bernal] na mag-relax during the game,” Putian said.

”Nag-improve din ako for my technique, speed, and also the biggest change for this season is nag-strength and conditioning ako,” he added.

Putian, who is the team captain, said that the team’s chemistry had changed, with his teammates becoming more communicative and open.

“Mas maluwag na [communication namin], naging open na sila sa mga mistakes nila. Like, for example, after training, if natalo sila, magtatanong sila, oh, ano ba yung mistakes ko… si coach din, naging parang, naging strict, pero also, naging open din for his opinions para samin to improve for this upcoming season,” Putian told TomasinoWeb.

(Photo from Neiro Villaescusa/TomasinoWeb)

Going back to UST saber coach Navarro, he believes that the team has a high chance in claiming the overall championship for the upcoming season, especially in the women’s division.

“Sa ngayon, sa women's yung malaki yung chance na mag-champion ngayon kasi may dalawang national team na pareho number one sa ranking [ang meron sa team], sina Ysah [Catantan], at si Alexa [Larrazabal],” said Navarro.

”Pero syempre, kailangan pa rin namin hindi magpakampante para talaga makuha namin yung gold na yun,” he added.

With the UAAP Season 87 fencing tournament set to start on April 22, the UST Fencing team will gun for the overall championship, and will hope to exceed their last season’s total medal tally of 23 medals. –With reports from Kurt Andre Trinidad