Kento, Jinnosuke triumph

Saipan Swim Club’s Jinnosuke Suzuki competes in the 100m breaststroke event during last Saturday’s 2018 SSC International Meet at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Kento Akimaru and Jinnosuke Suzuki delivered high-point awards for host Saipan Swim Club during the 2018 SSC International Meet held over the weekend at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.

Suzuki collected 90 points from the nine races he did, topping all his events to gain top honors in the crowded boys 11 to 12, which drew the most participants with 13. The 12-year-old swimmer competed in the 1,500m freestyle (18:22.90), 200m breaststroke (2:54.81), 100m freestyle (1:01.17), 50m breaststroke (36.73 seconds), 800m freestyle (9:45.34), 100m breaststroke (1:22.40), 200m freestyle (2:12.59), 200m individual medley (2:33.03), and 50m freestyle (29.17 seconds). First place finish in each event was worth 9 points and 7 to 1 for the No. 2 to No. 8.

Suzuki was joined in the podium by Tsunami Saipan’s Isaiah Aleksenko (80) and fellow SSC swimmer Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero (66). Tsunami Guam’s Ty Leon Guerrero finished fourth after gaining 59 points and was followed by Tsunami Saipan’s Hans Xu (55), Manhoben Swim Club’s Israel Poppe (55), SSC’s Taiyo Akimaru (45), SSC’s Mark Jainier Chavez (18), and Tsunami Saipan’s Kean Pajarillaga (16), Alex Kim (12), Miguel Bartolata (7), and Andrew Nunez (2).

In the boys over 17 division, Akimaru also swept his nine events to gain 90 points and beat Pohnpei Swimming Club’s Kaleo Kihleng (75) and fellow SSC swimmers Christian Villacrusis (72) and David Boyer (58) for the title in their age group.

The 17-year-old Akimaru started his domination in the two-day meet with a best time swim in the 1,500m freestyle, as he clocked in at 18:09.21 in the longest race in the tournament. His eight other events were the 100m freestyle (55.98 seconds), 100m butterfly (1:01.26), 50m breaststroke (32.47 seconds), 800m freestyle (9:17.14), 50m butterfly (26.94 seconds), 200m freestyle (2:03.61), 200m IM (2:23.94), and 50m freestyle (25.37 seconds).

Meanwhile, off-island swimmers held their own against Saipan bets after winning five high-point awards.

Kazuumi Nestor and Charlie Gibbons gave Palau a 1-2 finish in the boys U8 division after earning 60 and 49 points, respectively. SSC’s Moshe Sikkel rounded out the Top 3 in the nine-team field after tallying 44 points.

Palau got two more first place finishes when Jericho Maido and Osisang Chilton topped the boys 13 to 14 and girls over 17 age group. Maido posted 88 points to beat local favorite and SSC’s Lennosuke Suzuki (80), while Tsunami Saipan’s Juhn Tenorio (69) completed the Top 3. In the girls over 17 division, Chilton won in her head-to-head duel against Pohnpei’s Jourdyn Adams, as the former totaled 84 points against the latter’s 52.

In the 15 to 16 age group, Tsunami Guam had a sweep with Samantha Hon prevailing in the nine-swimmer girls field and Jimi Hendrix besting five others in the boys division. Han collected 88 points for first place and was joined in the podium by Manhoben Swim Club’s Mineri Gomez (69) and fellow Tsunami Guam swimmer Roxanne Mikel (58). In the boys field, Hendrix registered 86 points to beat Palau’s Malcolm Shae Gaymann (78), Manhoben’s Pope Santiago (66) and Taiga Sato (59), SSC’s Jan Matthew Millo (27), and Tsunami Saipan’s Kevin Guerrero (22).

Results in the other age groups will be reported in Saipan Tribune’s Wednesday issue.