4 named athletes of the month

Andreau Galvez of badminton and Zarinae Sapong of athletics were hailed athletes of the month, while Fiona Bucalig of basketball and Cristobal “Leon” Dela Cruz of athletics were named students athletes of the month by the Northern Marianas Sports Association for June.

Galvez, June NMSA Male Athlete of the Month, is the team captain of the Shirley’s Badminton Club which ruled the TanHoldings Badminton Team Tournament 2021 held last June 11 and 12.

He partnered with five different players in the mixed doubles and men’s and women’s doubles events. He played with four of them for the first time and, though it was a challenge to know each other’s game, through Galvez’s leadership and experience, he was able to lead his teammates to victories.

Galvez finished the competition unbeaten and was the only player in the tournament to earn a perfect 5-0 record. He also was among the volunteer coaches that conducted a series of badminton clinics through the Shuttle Time Program at various schools in June.

The Northern Marianas Badminton Association director brought badminton to students at Green Meadow School, Mt. Carmel School, Marianas High School, Saipan Community School, Saipan International School, and Saipan Southern High School.

Currently, Galvez is training for the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022, as he hopes to have the honor to represent the CNMI again at the regional competition. He was a member of the CNMI National Team that competed in the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa and was among the first players to form a youth squad under NMBA’s club system.

Sapong was named June NMSA Female Athlete of the Month after she ran a season-best 13.42 seconds in the women’s 100m event of the Northern Marianas Athletics’ Track and Field Open Meet last June 19.

It was her first competition in more than a year since most regional events in athletics have been postponed or cancelled due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Although she trains six times a week, she still finds time to mentor NMA’s 18-and-under developmental squad, helping them improve their skills. She enjoys spending her time coaching and guiding youth athletes. If she is not on the track competing, Sapong also volunteers her time officiating.

Dela Cruz won the June NMSA Male Student of the Month after surprising everyone by winning the men’s 100m sprint with a time of 12.65 seconds in the same NMA open meet.
The 15-year-old entered the 18-and-under division, but ended up being the fastest overall. He also achieved the feat amazingly while running barefoot. The Cha Cha Middle School student is also currently part of NMA’s 18-and-under developmental squad.

Bucalig, June’s NMSA Female Student of the Month, is the team captain for the Lady Rollers. She demonstrated 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 in June.

Bucalig takes the initiative to help her fellow teammates, guiding them on both offense and defense. She has great instincts and is always one step ahead of her teammates and the opposition. She led the team to win the 3v3 tournament on Tinian. Bucalig is a senior at Mount Carmel High School and aside from basketball, she also plays soccer and volleyball. Bucalig is a both a superb athlete and an outstanding leader.

Shirley’s Badminton Club was also named NMSA Team of the Month for June after topping the TanHoldings Badminton Team Tournament, Northern Marianas Badminton Association’s first competition in 2021.

The club’s players were selected via random draw and for nearly half of the 15 total players (eight men and seven women) of SBC, this was their first-ever badminton tournament. Despite the lack of playing experience, SBC pulled off an upset in the competition as it collected 50 points in the round-robin tournament to beat the Golden Racquets (37), Taga Badminton Club (35), United Badminton Club (29), and Community Badminton Club (28).

The June awardees are eligible to be named athletes/team of the year and will be recognized at the annual NMSA Awards Banquet.