17 vie for NMSA Student Athlete of the Year

The future of CNMI sports will be served this coming Tuesday when the Male Student Athlete of the Year and the Female Student Athlete will be announced in the 2021 NMSA Annual Sports Banquet at the Kensington Hall of Kensington Hotel Saipan.

A total of 17 student athletes—11 girls and six boys—have been nominated for the yearly honor. Northern Marianas Sports Association earlier said the winners of the Male Student and Female Student Athletes of the Year comes from the monthly awardees list.

Isaiah Aleksenko is the only double winner of the student athlete plum as the Marianas High School student won in January and July last year. He won in January for finishing second in the 6th Saipan Aquathlon, while he took the plum in July for topping the first and second installments of the 1,500m event of the Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series.

Soccer’s Jose Maratita is also nominated for the yearly award after winning the monthly honor in April 2021. He was the best player of his school’s team that won the championship of the CNMI Public School System Elementary Interscholastic Soccer League that month.

May’s winner Sir-Lashu Dela Cruz represents the sport of basketball in the Male Student Athlete of the Year race. He got the nod for the monthly award after leading Tinian’s Team Natural to the championship of the Division of Youth Services/Typhoon Sports 3v3 Basketball Tournament.

Athletics’ Cristobal Dela Cruz was male student athlete of the month last June after surprising everyone with a 12.65 run in the 100m sprint of the Northern Marianas Athletics’ Track & Field Open Meet.

Another soccer player, Jazzroy Villagomez, was the winner in October after emerging as the best player of third place Garapan Elementary School in the Summer season of the PSS Elementary Interscholastic Soccer League. He averaged almost 5 goals per game, including 10 goals in the quarterfinals match.

Juhn Tenorio is also nominated for the 2021 Male Student Athlete of the Year award after donning the CNMI’s colors in the 15th FINA World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Emirates last December. The MHS student swam his personal best time in the 50m freestyle race finishing at 23.97 seconds. He achieved another personal best time in the 100m backstroke event with a time of 58.85 seconds.

Andrei Kaithlyn Chavez leads the Female Student Athlete nominees after topping the 6th Saipan Aquathlon in January 2021. The multi-sport athlete outpaced 14 female adults and placed sixth overall among 27 participants by clocking in at 1:07:53.

Katrina Costales won the March Female Student Athlete award in March after leading the Golden Boot Award race in Division A of the Dove Women’s Soccer League with 7 goals while suiting up for Shirley’s Football Club. She also scored 2 goals for the NMI Women’s Team that played in Division B of the NMIFA Men’s League that month.

The April winner is also from the sport of soccer with Jerlyn Castillo getting the award after being one of the leading scorers in Division A of the NMIFA Dove Women’s Soccer League. She scored 9 goals in seven matches at the end of April, averaging at least a goal per match played.

Athletics’ Casey C. Cruz also made the shortlist for the 2021 Female Student Athlete of the Year award after taking home the monthly award last May. She distinguished herself by winning all three sprints—100m at 13.50 seconds, 200m at 28.90 seconds, and 400m at 1:09.95 minutes—in the PSS/McDonald’s All Schools Athletics Championships.

Basketball has another nominee for the yearly student athlete honor after Fiona Bucalig won the June award. The Lady Rollers team captain showed outstanding leadership in the Summer Heat 3v3 Basketball Tournament held at the Tinian Gymnasium and the Marianas International Basketball League 3v3 Season 2 Tournament held at the Marianas High School Gymnasium last June.

Maria Batallones of swimming is also going to the 2021 NMSA Annual Sports Banquet after winning the monthly award last July. This, after she topped the 1,000m races of the Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series. She swam the first series in 14:47:00 then bettered herself in the second with a time of 11:09:87.

August winner Tiana Cabrera won two races in August that justified her being chosen as female athlete of the month. She has had setbacks, like every athlete, but uses these to improve her running. Aside from that, the Saipan International School student trains with NMA, Run Saipan, and with SIS’ track team.

For September, towering Azriel Fatialofa won the monthly prize after leading Grace Christian Academy to an unblemished 7-0 record in the regular season of the IT&E Girls Middle School Interscholastic Basketball League. She is also part of the NMI National Basketball Program, attending select players’ training sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Beatrice Gross of soccer won the October monthly award after being named MVP in the Summer Season of the PSS Elementary Interscholastic Soccer League. She is a multi-sport student-athlete of Saipan International School.

Bodybuilding’s lone entry for the yearly award is Filomenaleonisa Iakopo after the she won first place in the women’s figure category of the 2021 Dee Clayton Classic Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship last November. Iakopo’s posing, muscularity and condition, and stage presence earned her the top spot in her debut competition, where she was also the youngest competitor.

Shoko Litulumar joins her 15th FINA World Swimming Championships teammate Tenorio as among the nominees for the 2021 Student Athlete of the Year award. Like Tenorio, she got the nod for representing the CNMI in the 15th FINA World Swimming Championships held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi where she broke her personal best in the 50m breaststroke (39.91) despite not having the opportunity to swim in an official pool and meet for more than two years.

The nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year and the Female Athlete of the Year awards will be reported in next week’s issue of Saipan Tribune.