GCA triumphs in All Schools swim meet

Grace Christian Academy’s Manuel Magboo swims in the boys U8’s 50m freestyle event during the 2017 Saipan Swim Club All Schools Swim Meet held last Saturday at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Grace Christian Academy took the top honors in the elementary division of the 2017 Saipan Swim Club All Schools Swim Meet held last Saturday at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.

The Eagles collected 111 points from the 18 races in the elementary division for a convincing win against six other teams. Brilliant Star School was at distant second with its 76 points, while Saipan International School came in at third after gaining 57 points. William S. Reyes Elementary School (45 points), Koblerville Elementary School (39), Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School (16), and Saipan Community School (14) were the other participating schools in the U8 and under and 9 to 12 swim events.

Each school received points based on how their swimmers finished in the races and only the Top 2 placers in individual and relay events received points. The winners of individual and relay races were awarded 9 and 18 points, while the runners-up got 7 and 14.

The quartet of Kaya Braxton, Aasish Dangol, Michael Miller, and Takeru Jim handed GCA 18 points when it topped the mixed U8’s 200m medley relay after clocking in at 3:33.64. Brilliant Star and WSR timed in at 3:38.25 and 3:40.89, respectively, to place second and third.

Braxton added 7 markers to the Eagles’ tally when she submitted 1:08.24 in the U8’s 50m backstroke for a runner-up finish behind SIS’ Phoenix Gross (1:07.02). The 7-year-old Braxton also raced in the 50m freestyle and this time she won the event after registering 55.14 seconds. She was the lone swimmer in her division to make the under one-minute cut, as runner-up and Koblerville’s Leia Pangelinan posted 1:12.14, and Gross and Brilliant Star’s Sari Barman recorded 1:12.40 and 1:14.16, respectively.

The Eagles ruled five more individual events with Eunice Nicole Pagaduan prevailing in the 9 to 12’s 50m freestyle (42.52 seconds); Jim topping the U10’s 200m freestyle (3:25.87); Dangol lording it over in the U10’s 200m individual medley (2:58.99) and 50m butterfly (36.13 seconds); and Miller winning the U8’s 100m freestyle (1:48.48).

Miller then teamed up with Dangol, Pagaduan, and Jessica Ma in the mixed U10’s 200m freestyle relay and the foursome registered 2:57.36 to beat Brilliant Star (3:15.32) and WSR (3:20.06).

In other individual results in the elementary division, SIS got two more first place finishes, courtesy if Christian Newman and Alex Kim. The 10-year-old Newman bested 10 other swimmers in the 9 to 12’s 50m freestyle after checking in at 46.74 seconds, while Kim did the 50m breaststroke and logged 49.71 seconds.

WSR earned four top finishes with two of them coming from Raven Pascual and one from his brother Rafael. The 7-year-old Raven first won the U8’s 50m backstroke (1:06.35) and then ruled the 50m freestyle (46.28 seconds), while Rafael prevailed in the 50m butterfly (1:25.06). Maria Batallones handed WSR its other first place finish after racing in the girls 9 to 12’s 50m breaststroke (47.33 seconds).

For Brilliant Star, Savita Sikkel delivered in the girls 9 to 10’s 50m butterfly (54.46 seconds) and defeated five other swimmers, while his brother Moshe won the U8’s 50m breaststroke (1:07.70).

Meanwhile, results in the middle school and high school divisions will be reported in Saipan Tribune’s Thursday edition.