Yanai brothers lead high-point winners

Tsunami Saipan?s Kaito Yanai jumps from the starting block during the boys 13 to 14?s 50m freestyle race in last Saturday?s 2014 Saipan Swim Club International Invitational Meet held at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.(ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Siblings Kaito and Ryuto Yanai of Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center are among the high-point winners in the 2014 Saipan Swim Club International Meet held over the weekend at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.
Ryuto topped the boys 9 to 10 age group, while Kaito lorded it over in the 13 to 14 division, as the Yanai siblings collected 72 points apiece from the races held last Friday and Saturday. Points were based on how swimmers finished in each race. A first place finish is equivalent to nine points and Ryuto ruled all nine events he competed in (200m individual medley, 50m and 100m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, and 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle) to prevail against 17 other swimmers in his age group, while Kaito had the same feat and bested 13 other competitors.

Joining Ryuto in the Top 3 were Saipan Swim Club’s Lennozuke Suzuki (58 points) and teammate Juhn Tenorio (43), while another Tsunami Saipan bet, Kenshiro Yanai (41) came in at fourth and Tsunami Guam’s Chuckie White (39) rounded out the Top 5.

In the girls 9 to 10 division, Tsunami Saipan had a 1-2 finish with Sophia Gauran gathering 70 points to beat teammate Aika Watanabe (55), while Tsunami Guam’s Esabelle Eldridge (44), SSC’s Conatu Kaga (44), Tsunami Guam’s Risa Hedrix (37), and Coume Kaga (28) completed the Top 5.
In the U8 age group, Tsunami Saipan and SSC split top honors with Nanaka Watanabe winning for the former and Jinnosuke Suzuki delivering for the host club. Jinnosuke pulled off a close win against Tsunami Saipan’s Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero after tallying 52 points against the latter’s 50. Tsunami Saipan’s Hans Xu (39) was ranked third, followed by Mahoben Swim Club’s Israel Poppe (27), and SSC’s Leo Takahashi (27), and Taiyo Akimaru (25).

In the girls division, Nanaka Watanabe had a five-point win over teammate Ashley Dangol, who got 49 points, while Manuka Athletics’ Club’s Sydney Packbier rounded out the Top 3 with her 32 points. Packier won by just a point against Tsunami Saipan’s Kana Suzuki, who also prevailed by only one marker versus fifth place and teammate Natsuki Nagata.

In the girls 11 to 12, Tsunami Saipan’s Miku Tammy finished way ahead of two Tsunami Guam bets. She logged 72 points to beat the 62 and 56 of Samanta Hon and Leilani Koiwa, respectively. Boys champion Jimi Hendrix also won by 10 points against fellow Tsunami Guam member Caleb White, as the former totaled 70 points against the latter’s 60. Palau’s Noel Keane completed the podium finish with hits third-best 59 points.

In the boys 13 to 14, Kaito enjoyed a 13-point winning margin over SSC’s Kento Akimaru and Tsunami Guam’s Kai Aricayos, who were tied for second with 50 markers apiece. Manhoben’s Tanner Poppe rounded the Top 3 with his 55 points. In the girls division, the winner was decided by only two points with Tsunami Guam’s Hannah White getting 67 to down the 65 of Manukai’s Danielle Atoigue. Mahoben’s Amanda Poppe rounded out the Top 3 with her 51 points.

In the girls 15 to 16, only three points separated winner Angel Tan from SSC’s Victoria Chentsova. The Tsunami Saipan swimmer notched 66 points to edge the 63 of Chentsova, who slipped past eventual third finisher Angel De Jesus (62), also of Tsunami Saipan. In the boys division, Tsunami Guam’s Jagger Stephens was the runaway champion, as he registered 72 points and defeated Manhoben’s Tommy Imazu (53) and teammate Kiego Kitadate (52).

In the 17-and-over age group, Tsunami Guam had a sweep in the girls category with Misaki Iijima (72) thwarting teammate Emma Rione (66) and Allyson Chiu (58). Manhoben’s Jessica Jones (51) was the fourth swimmer entered in the group. In the boys division, Tsunami Guam took the Top 4 spots with Kazuki Aricayos leading the race with his 60 markers, followed by Soujyu Usui (60), Alejandro Cruz-Atoigue (56), and Yuya Kitadate (51). Tsunami Saipan’s Kensuke Kimura completed the field and scored 43 points.