32 swimmers set PBTs in 50m free

Saipan Swim Club’s Kento Akimaru competes in one of the freestyle races in the Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation’s first meet held last Saturday at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Swimmers in the girls 11 to 12 and boys U8 age groups led the list of PBT holders, as seven from each division achieved the fe

In the boys U8 category, Tsunami Saipan’s Isaiah Aleksenko timed in at 38.38 seconds to eclipse his old PBT of 41.07 seconds, Arman Rechucger submitted 38.46 seconds (from 45.50), and Manuel Babauta logged 1:06.29 (from 1:18.00). Saipan Swim Club also had three swimmers who notched PBTs in the event with Jefferey Sheu recording 50.67 seconds (from 1:02.76), Dino Sato posting 53.13 seconds (from 1:05.13), and Wataru Kadokura registering 1:00.70 (1:06.81). Another SSC, bet Jinnosuke Suzuki had the fastest time in the event, clocking in at 36.40 seconds.

In the girls 11 to 12 age group, Tsunami Saipan’s Sophia Gauran had the best time in the field and also earned a PBT with her 32.56 seconds (from 35.34 seconds). Others who bagged PBTs were Gauran’s teammates Kyona Rivera (35.41), Aika Watanabe (35.92), and Megumi Yoshino (39.52) and SSC’s Conatsu Kaga (36.28), Jin Ju Thompson (37.18), and Jasmin Frink (40.73).

In other girls races, Tsunami Saipan’s Angel De Jesus got a PBT (30.68 seconds) in the 15 to 16 age group, while SSC’s Coume Kaga and Susan Villagomez had the same feat in the 9 to 10 division after posting 39.35 seconds and 51 seconds, respectively. In the U8 age group, Tsunami Saipan’s Ashley Dangol’s 38.44 seconds and Shaunalyn Babauta’s 52.80 seconds gave them PBTs, while SSC’s Savita Sikkel (56.42) and Nieves Villagomez (1:00.63) duplicated that honor.

In the boys 9 to 10, five made PBTs with Tsunami Saipan’s Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero leading the field with his 34.51 seconds. Completing the list were SSC’s Richard Villagomez (41.85 ) and Akira Kadokura (43.37) and Camacho’s fellow Tsunami Saipan bets Rentaro Suzuki (48.65) and Kenta Tomie (50.84).

Others who achieved PBTs in the 50m freestyle in their respective age groups were boys 11 to 12’s Mark Maestro (31.59 seconds) of Tsunami Saipan, 13 to 14’s Christian VIllacrusis (28.31) and David Boyer (31.00) of SSC, and 15 to 16’s Kaito Yanai (27.77) of SSC and Takumi Sugie (27.88) of Tsunami Saipan.

In another sprint event—the 50m butterfly—six got PBTs. Tsunami Saipan’s Ashley Dangol was one of them after clocking in at 41.69 seconds in the girls U8, while Camacho and Juhn Tenorio did the same in the boys 9 to 10 after recording 39.92 second and 40.44 seconds, respectively. Nelson Batallones of the boys 11 to 12 division was the fourth Tsunami Saipan to set a PBT in the event, while SSC had two in Kento Akimaru (31.89) and David Boyer (34.45) in the boys 13 to 14 age group.

In the 100m breaststroke, Tsunami Saipan and girls U8’s Nanaka Watanabe listed a PBT of 1:44.35, while her teammate Jhota Yoshino had 1:48.48 in the boys 11 to 12 division. Villacrusis also registered a PBT with his 1:23.45, more than eight seconds faster than her old record (1:31.87)

Villacrusis notched a PBT, too, in the 50m breaststroke after logging 38.44 seconds (from 41.41). Eleven others scored PBT in the same event: Kaito Yanai (32.56), Yoshino Jhota (49.53), Rentaro Suzuki (1:04.35), Wataru Kadokura (1:07.79), Angel Marie Tan (39.57), Sami Nimura (53.85), Jin Ju Thompson (51.69), Ayaka Sato (1:11.93), Natsuki Nagata (1:00.12), Asaka Litulumar (57.58), Coume Kaga (54.00), and Babauta (1:05.15).

Meanwhile, results in other races last Saturday will be reported in Saipan Tribune next week.