Theceel, Miller grab top rankings

Theceel Minor made hay while the sun shone—or better yet while little sister Thea dabbled in the boys field—as she topped the junior rankings of the 2011-2012 season of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.

The elder Minor finished No. 1 in the girls 18-and-under division after accumulating 4,875 points.

She earned 750 points for reaching the semis of the DFS Junior Tennis Championships, 1,000 points apiece for topping the Tan Holdings Tennis Classic, White Coconut Tennis Championships, and Pacific Islands Club Championships, and 1,125 points for finishing runner-up to Thea in the recent CNMI Junior Tennis Championships.

Alina Ishikawa came in second in the girls U18 age division with 2,700 points, followed by Thea Minor (2,500), Jodel Fernandez (1,700), Melody Johnson (1,500), and Amy Arenovski (1,275).

Christian Miller, meanwhile, grabbed the No. 1 spot in the boys 18-and-under with 4,100 points built around first place finishes in the White Coconut, PIC, and Junior Tennis championships.

Rafael Jones was second in the age group with 3,475 points, highlighted by a win in the DFS tournament. Amami Sakano (2,900), Daniel Park (2,650), and Jake Lee (2,550) make up the Top 5 in the boys U18.

Thea Minor played most of the year in the boys 18-and-under and finished in sixth place with 1,500 points.

In the boys 15-and-under, Christopher Cajigan leads the group with wins in the DFS, PIC, and Junior Tennis tourneys giving him 4,400 points. Carl Dela Cruz took the No. 2 spot with his win in the White Coconut tourney giving him a large chunk of his 4,225 points.

The rest of the Top 5 are Seiya Eda (3,050), Moris Villanueva (2,000), and Dylan Ackerman (2,000).

Mikayla Lopez, meanwhile, swept all four junior tournaments for the season to lock the No. 1 ranking in the girls 15-and-under. Her 5,500 points is most a player can get for a season.

Negahr Rastguiy (3,225), Emily Jones (2,650), Adele Hudkins (2,200), and Carol Lee (1,350) make up the rest of the Top 5 in the girls U15.

Luther Lizama is No. 1 in the boys 12-and-under with wins in the White Coconut and PIC tourneys giving him 4,625 points. Alex Park is No. 2 with 4,100, including a win in the season-ending CNMI Juniors. Clayton Izuka (2,900), Michael Ren (2,000), and Micheal Jones (1,825) complete the Top 5.

The girls 12-and-under has Carol Lee duplicating Lopez’s sweep in the girls U15 with victories in all five junior tennis tourneys of the year to finish with a perfect 5,500 points. Isabel Heras came in runner-up to Lopez all season and had 4,125 points, while Julia Ishikawa (3,100), Elizaveta Atalig (2,150), and Ami Tsukagosgi (1,800) completed the Top 5.

Robbie Schorr won the White Coconut and Junior Tennis tourneys to take the No. 1 spot in the boys 10-and-under division with 3,250 points. Joshua Abrangan came in second with 2,300 points, followed by A.J. Hudkins (1,750), Mondo Taniguchi (1,700), and Cole Chambers (1,680).

In the girls 10-and-under, No. 1 Malika Miyawaki has 3,750 points after winning the White Coconut and Junior Tennis competitions. Catherine Atalig is second with her 2,625 points with Tania Tan (2,000), Mami Sakano (1,800), and Asia Raulerson (1,450) grabbing the rest of the Top 5 spots.

In related news, the organizing Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association will hold the 31st Annual Micronesian Junior Tennis Championships from May 25 to 28 at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan and American Memorial Park tennis courts.

There will be four boys and girls divisions—U18, U15, U12, and U10. There will also be a U10 mini tennis tournament open for both boys and girls.

For more information, call NMITA’s Jeff Race at 483-5652.