THE UST Judokas hogged the spotlight once more as they paced the 2007 NCR Selection judo tournament last March 31 at the Philippine Amateur Judo Association Gym.
Led by Season 69 MVP Stephen Gerena, UST reaped two golds, two silvers, and two bronzes against UAAP archrival University of the Philippines.to underscore its billing as amateur judo’s top collegiate team.
The España-based judokas’ budding performance gained them 11 spots in the NCR roster to compete in the upcoming National Open on April 29 to 30.
Gerena topped the men’s -60kg while UAAP bronze medalist Visam Calimlim claimed the -73kg diadem to set the UST juggernaut in motion.
UST’s Romeo Arellano and Austin Ngo bagged silvers each in the -71kg and +100kg divisions to match the two-bronze output of Adrian Salvador and Lady Judoka Hershey Alconcer.
Despite falling short of securing a medal, Lady Judoka’ team captain Vanessa Roa, Maria Francesca Castillo, Angelica Ciruela, Jordan Carpio and Bernard Gatchalian still qualified for the National Open due to their winning quotients.
“We were glad with the outcome of the (NCR) selections because most of us were able to make the NCR team,” Roa told the Varsitarian. “The real fight, however, begins in the National Open where we will be up against the best in every region of the country.”
The UST judokas had little time shaking the rust from a long post-UAAP break, but their training and regular sparring session weeks before the NCR meet spelled the difference.
“We help each other out to become better fighters. Our trips to the UST gym may be limited because of academic priorities but that did not hamper us from training hard,” said Roa, who admitted that it was the team’s first time to lock horns with exclusive colored belters.
Meanwhile, Coach Jojo Arce expressed optimism of his wards’ fighting chances in the National Open amid the possibility of facing the country’s finest in the discipline.
“I am confident that we can pull this one off with my players’ experience and dedication to the sport,” Arce, who steered UST to a majestic “six-peat” in the UAAP, said. “We will definitely give them a good fight.”
