Koblerville, SIS triumph

The Top 3 finishers in the 4x100m run pose with their medals during the awards ceremony for the 2019 Public School System/McDonald’s All Schools Track and Field Championships last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex. (Jon Perez)

Koblerville Elementary School and Saipan International School won the most medals in the U7 division of the 2019 Public School System/McDonald’s All Schools Track and Field Championships held over the weekend at the Oleai Sports Complex.

In the boys division, Koblerville earned four gold medals, two silvers, and two bronzes, while in the girls field, SIS gained three golds and two silvers.

Runner Jephda Hong delivered all four gold medals for the Umangs after ruling the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 400m races.

He clocked in at 10.18 seconds in the 60m to beat Tinian’s Calen Borja (10.50) and SIS’ Dean Duenas (11.00). The Koblerville runner also edged out Borja in the 100m run with the former posting 17.06 seconds versus the latter’s 17.46, while Saipan Community School’s Jude Rayphand rounded out the Top 3 after registering 18.23 seconds. Hong made it three in a row against Borja after recording 36.06 seconds in the 200m run against the Tinian bet’s 37.91 seconds, while SIS’ Oliver McCallion finished third (39.02 seconds). The Koblerville first grader eventually completed a sweep of the short races after logging 1:19.68 in the 400m and downing McCallion (1:32.24) and Justin Defang (1:33.08), also an Umang.

After falling short in two sprint events, McCallion got the gold medal in the 800m run (3:36.71), while his fellow SIS student, Andre Guerrero (3:48.78) tookthe silver and Agape Christian School’s Daniel Huang (4:07.15) settled for the bronze.

Guerrero went home with one more medal—gold—after topping the longest race of the day (1,500m), as he clocked in at 7:29.54. He was the lone runner to finish the race under eight minutes, as silver medalist Huang and Benjamin Cai, also from Agape, timed in at 8:37.68 and 9:20.55, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the two field events, Kagman Elementary School and Tinian split the gold medals. Borja bagged the gold in the softball throw after registering 22.64 meters and beating Koblervile’s Vince Eusebio (16.12m) and Napu Pangelinan (14.14m). In the long jump, Kagman’s Tatum Jones recorded 2.88m to prevail against Pangelinan (2.65m) and Mt. Carmel’s Donald Tagabuel (2.47m).

In the girls U7 long jump, Beatrice Gross won the gold medal after tallying 2.73m and her 10.96 seconds in the 60m run also landed her to the first spot. Lucy Woo clinched first placed in the 800m run (4:07.62), giving SIS the best medal haul in the girls division.

Joining Gross in the Top 3 of the 60m race were Koblerville’s Sapalyn Apas (11/18 seconds) and Rota’s Niarah Muna (13.14 seconds). In the long jump, Apas also came in at second (2.66m), while SCS’ Allie Brasuelle was ranked third (2.52m).

In the other field event—the softball throw—Tinian’s Kaisa San Nicolas earned the gold after logging 17.99m and downing Apas (14.48m) and William S. Reyes’ Aliiyah Villacrusis (9.7m).

Apas, after losing to Gross in the 60m run, ruled the 100m race after clocking in at 18.20 seconds and defeating the latter (18.50 seconds). San Nicolas finished third with her 18.84 seconds. In the 200m race, Rota’s Krisha Aguero (39.89 seconds) placed first and was joined in the podium by Gross (41.97 seconds) and San Nicolas (42.27 seconds).

For the 400m, it was Brasuell’s turn to shine, as she completed the race in 1:33.29, while WSR’s Memzie Elieisar (1:48.16) and Mt. Carmel’s Neya Tagabuel (2:02.05) came in at second and third, respectively.

Besides the U7 age group, the All Schools meet also had competition in the U9 and U11 divisions and results will be reported in Saipan Tribune on Wednesday and Thursday.

Two Saipan International School students race in the 200m run during the opening of the 2019 Public School System/McDonald’s All Schools Track and Field Championships last Friday at the Oleai Sports Complex. (Contributed Photo)