7 make grade in BergerMan

Joshua Berger gestures to the participants before starting the swim leg of the BergerMan Triathlon last Saturday at PauPau Beach. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Seven passed the first qualifying tournament for the 2014 Pacific Triathlon Championships after competing in last Saturday’s BergerMan Triathlon.
The list includes Tyce Mister, Butch Sublemente, and Peter Prestley in the men’s division, and women’s category’s Kimiko McKagan, Kaity Mattos, Yurie L’orange, and Amy Sletten. The three male triathletes completed the long distance course that finished and ended at Paupau under the three-hour mark, while McKagan also broke the under three-hour barrier to lead the three other qualifiers.

Brad Ruszala, who organized the Joshua Berger-sponsored BergerMan, said he will work on other qualifying tournaments and training opportunities before selecting the three male and female representatives of Tri Saipan to the 2014 Pacific Triathlon Championships that will be held in Guam on June 21 and 22. The chosen ones will have an all-expense paid trip to Guam, while other triathletes are also welcome to join the competition but they will have to pay for their trips.
“In addition to the three men and women who will make the team, Saipan will be represented by other local triathletes and they will compete in the race alongside the Pacific’s finest in Guam,” Ruszala said in an email to Saipan Tribune.

Other participants in the BergerMan include (short distance) Bob Ferrer, Tiffany Lin, Shawna Brennfeek, Toshiaki Satake, Taiga Sato, Derek Chambers, Allen Perez, Ricky Castro, Lennosuke and Jinnosuke Suzuki, Akira Kadokura, Clay McCullough-Stearns, Christina Villacrusis, Linda and Eric Cooke, Tony Stearns, Sonny Loma, Kento and Taiyo Akimaru, Paul Anthony, Joey Tudela, Salvi Villanueva, Juanita Fajardo, and Addin Sablan. In the long course, joining the seven earlier qualifiers were Berger, Noel Altamirano, Ernie Moises, Paul Plunkett, Bruce L’orange, Jay Diyco, Charlie Sendin, James Abuy, Manny Sitchon, Florence Antonio, Ricky Melchor, Philip Guiang, Cesar Fortaleza, Nap Dizon, and Willy Barbo.

MISO triathlon
Meanwhile, student-athletes from Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization-member schools were in the same race venue for the MISO triathlon tournament.

Marianas High School’s Erico Castro led 14 other finishers of the race that had its one-lap swim leg at Paupau, bike leg from Paupau to Banzai Cliff and back, and run leg from Paupau to Mariana Resort and back. Castro timed in at 49:40 and was one of the only three students who completed the race under one hour. Saipan Southern High School’s Dylan Ackerman and Hopwood Junior High School’s David Boyer were the two others, clocking in at 51:30 and 53:07, respectively.

Rounding out the finishers list were Southern’s Seiya Eda (1:02:41); MHS’ Dante Leonard (1:03:50) and Kenneth Domingo (1:08:44); Southern’s Christopher Galban (1:14:35) and Bert Palacios (1:15:23); MHS’ Benjie Estoque (1:17:28) and Daime Rivera (1:19:24); Southern’s Akiomi Babauta (1:22:17); MHS’ Karl Roque (1:26:10), Mark Abrihan (1:26:20), and Jill Aranda (1:38:11); and Southern’s Anthony Dela Cruz (1:46:30).