The University of Cebu (UC) junior girls’ team managed to land in third place in the 40th National Taekwondo Kyurogi Championships last Saturday night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
The UC girls settled for the bronze after getting stopped by the National University (NU) Bulldogs in the semifinals round. The Baby Webmasters then defeated Iloilo in the bronze medal match of the 5-on-5 team competition.
Ironically, UC faced a familiar face in former teammate and now NU jin Nica Garces in the sudden-death semis match.
UC head coach Frauline Joy Realista said they already expected to cross paths with Garces in the tournament.
The Cebu City-native Garces started her career with UC before transferring to NU last May.
When asked how the team felt when facing their former teammate, Realista said it felt “just normal.”
The team that finished third was made up of Melody Jane Infante, Mayn Coran, Princess Maegan Parba, Ellen Joy Villacarlos and Zozen Prajes.
The Baby Webmasters put up a good fight in the tournament, posting victories over other powerhouse teams De La Salle University (DLSU) and Baguio City in the elimination round that booked them a seat in the semis.
Their junior boys’ team, however, felt the absence of Sal Luigi Estrada as they failed to get past the elimination round. Estrada skipped the tournament because of financial reasons as he just came from a stint in the Korea Open.