4 earn NMSA monthly honors

Marianas High School’s Gabrielle Race tries to keep the ball away from Mt. Carmel School’s Masami Sato during their title game in the MISO girls caging last month at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Buultjens teamed up with youngsters Youngson Yu and Jenine Savellano in ruling the men’s and mixed doubles A divisions of last month’s Tan Holdings Open 2014 badminton tournament. The former Ombudsman employee and one of the top men’s badminton players on the island joined Yu in sweeping their way to the finals of the premier men’s A doubles. He and Yu enjoyed a twice-to-beat edge after winning all of their three matches, but dropped the first game as Deether Edralin and Jongmin Lee forced a rubber following a 21-17, 21-19 upset. Buultjens and Yu, however made sure the title won’t slip away from their hands and sealed the deal with a 21-13, 21-16 win.

Buultjens then added the mixed doubles A title to his collection, teaming up with Savellano. They also enjoyed a twice-to-beat advantage and finished the finals early with a 21-16, 21-13 win over the brother-sister tandem of Jordan and Janelle Pangilinan.

Sablan, meanwhile, is currently playing for NMSA in the 2014 IT&E-DYS Inter-government Basketball League and is one of the only two female players suiting up for the competition. Connie Camacho is the other one.

Sablan, a known outside shooter, has held her own against the league’s top male players, averaging 11 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds per game.

In the race for the Tan Siu Lin Foundation/NMASA Student Athletes of the Month, Eda emerged as the winner in the boys division after a dominant performance in two running events last month.

The Saipan Southern High School senior showed that despite having less than two years of running experience, he can rule his division in two Northern Marianas Athletics-organized races. Eda was the top high school long distance runner this season as he ruled the 2.7-mile All Schools Cross Country finals, timing in at 25:31 last month at the American Memorial Park. He also won two of the three legs of the annual race.

Less than two weeks later, Eda won the U17 division of the 2014 Annual Turkey Trot with a time of 42:18, which is good for third overall and was just a few seconds behind his coach/trainer Ketson Kabiriel. Eda also finished 75th out of the 220 long distance runners in the Oceania Area Cross Country Championships held in Guam in October, holding his ground in a strong field that includes runners from powerhouse Australia and New Zealand.

Race shared the top student honors with Eda as she helped Marianas High School win itsfifth straight girls basketball crown in the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization. She is a multi-sport athlete as she also excelled in athletics, soccer, and swimming.

Race was not among the top scorers for the Lady Dolphins, but helped her team on defense and hustled for the rebounds. Her inside presence can force their opponents to change their shots.

MHS basketball mentor Preston Basa said that Race is the type player every coach wants to have on his team.

“Her discipline and never give up attitude are huge contributors to her accomplishments. I never have to worry about Gabby’s work ethic.”

Race won in the female student athlete of the month contest against Savellano. Basketball’s Bart Demapan (male athlete) and Kobee Mendoza (male student athlete) and badminton’s Rowena Sison (female athlete) and Yu (male student athlete) were the other November nominees. (Jon Perez)