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Junior netters reign supreme in NPQ anew
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Posted on Dec 29 2011
The CNMI Junior Tennis National Team’s domination in the North Pacific Qualifying Tournament continued this year.
The Jeff Race-coached squad clinched four championships, one runner-up, and two third place finishes in the NPQ, which also drew players from host Guam, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Thea Minor and Rafael Jones gave the Commonwealth two singles titles in the U18 age groups, while Carl Dela Cruz and Mikayla Lopez also triumphed in the U15 division. Negahr Rastguiy placed second in the girls U12, while Moris Villanueva and Tammy Ackerman finished third in the same age group.
These seven players went on to make it to the North Pacific Team that competed against the East and West squads in the 2011 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji. Also gaining slots on the team were Jake Lee, Christian Miller, and Melody Johnson.
The CNMI notched 10 of the 20 spots on the squad—the most in the group. Guam claimed six berths, while the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau had two each.
In the POJC, Ackerman made it big when she topped the girls U12 singles, beating Rastguiy in the finals. Miller placed runner-up in the boys U15, while Jones and Lopez placed fourth in the boys U16 and girls U15, respectively, and Minor was ranked fifth in the girls U18.
With her impressive showing in the NPQ and POJC, Ackerman received a scholarship from the Oceania Tennis Federation and she will be the first CNMI netter to train in the regional facility in Fiji.
