Saipan sweep for Noble and Bucher

Andrew Noble of Australia and Switzerland’s Renata Bucher completed their Saipan Sportsfest sweep winning the 19th Tagaman Triathlon and the Pacific Islands Club Double to guarantee their return for the 2008 edition.

Noble withstood the gallant stand of a returning Masayuki Matsumaru of Japan to successfully defend his Tagaman title, while Bucher finally won her first crown.

In the Tagakids, siblings Andrew, Sarah, and Matthew Klassen led the list of winners. The Tagakids took place simultaneously with the 19th Tagaman Triathlon at Micro Beach inside the American Memorial Park.

Andrew topped the 7-8 division while older brother Matthew topped the 11-12 division. Their sister, Sarah was the top finisher in the 7-8 division,

Other winners are Gabbie Race, Cole Chambers, Misaki Cramer, and Michael Moran.

The Saipan Southern High School Manta Rays, meanwhile, swept the championships in the 2008 MISO Basketball League after beating separate opponents last week to claim the varsity and junior varsity crowns.

SSHS avenged its finals loss last year to the Marianas High School Dolphins in scoring a 115-103 win in the varsity division while their junior varsity squad downed the Kagman High School Ayuyus, 115-103, in separate finals matches at the MHS Gymnasium.

Swimming Center Tsunami Saipan’s Kensuke Kimura, meanwhile, almost made it into the Top 20 of his age group in last weekend’s 2008 Tokyo Junior Sprint Swim Meet, finishing 21st out of 103 in the competition held at the Tatsumi International Swimming Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

Kimura gave a good account of himself swimming against the world’s best 11-year-olds though, finishing the 50m breaststroke in 40.37, a lifetime best. He failed to advance to the final by a mere 1.5 seconds.

Tyrone Omar and Yvonne Bennett earned the Northern Marianas Athletics 2007 Athletes of the Year in the Open division.

Other awardees were Gabi Race and Jordan Manglona (10-and-under); Ashley Babauta and Angelo Jones (12-and-Under); Reylynn Sapong and Lia Rangamar, and J.R. Concepcion (14-and-under); Jacque Wonenberg and Nate Mateo (18-and-under); and Mamiko Oshima (Roadrunner of the Year).

Raphael Zapanta won his second consecutive Bing Prince/Princess of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament while Simon Manacop and Ron Cal topped the Budweiser King and Queen of the Lanes.

Jess “Mr. Unorthodox” Wabol also successfully defended his Championship Flight title in last Saturday’s 6th Annual Mount Carmel Golf Tournament at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort.

The winners in the other flights were Yasu Irinaka (A), lady golfer Leina Kim (B), Frankie Pangelinan (C), Nick Sablan (Senior), and Sherlyn Jones (Ladies).