Nearly 100 join SSC Ocean Swim

Swimmers get ready to head to the waters near Naked Fish in Susupe for the 38th Annual Saipan Swim Club Ocean Swim held last Sunday. (Contributed Photo)

There was plenty of competition in the 38th Annual Saipan Swim Club Ocean Swim as about 100 swimmers participated in last Sunday’s event held in the waters near Naked Fish in Susupe.

In the 5.2K race—the longest swim of the weekend—SSC’s very own Kento Akimaru bested 10 other swimmers in the men’s 15 to 24 age group. The 16-year-old completed the four-lap race in 1:06:07 to place ahead of Manhoben Swim Club and siblings Santiago (1:06:43) and Tanner Poppe (1:10:40). Akimaru’s teammates Christian Villacrusis (1:16:13) and David Boyer (1:17:16) rounded out the Top 5, while other finishers in the division were Pohnpei’s Kaleo Kigleng (1:20:07), Palau’s Keemo Kanai (1:22:32), Manhoben’s Miguel Jugo (1:26:00), SSC’s R.J. Pierce (1:28:46), Pohnpei’s Kaleb Boylston (1:35:24), and Manhoben’s Gray Harver (1:35:25).

In the women’s 15 to 24 division, World and Oceania championships veteran Osisang Chilton clocked in at 1:13:55 to prevail against Manhoben’s Mineri Gomez (1:18:33), teammate Roylyn Akiwo (1:18:41) and Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan’s Angel De Jesus (1:20:12).

Meanwhile, other top finishers in their respective age groups were U8 600m’s Maria Batallones and Aasish Dangol; 9 to 10 1K’s Ashley Dangol and Isaiah Aleksenko; 11 to 12 2.6K’s Klei Andreas and Jinnosuke Suzuki; 13 to 14 3.9K’s Aika Watanabe and Noel Keane; over 25 1.3K’s Suzy Kindel and Richard Sikkel; and over 25 2.6K’s Yasuko Yasuko and Billy Brown.

Brown, the national coach of Palau, submitted 38:13 in the race to beat Saipan’s Colin Thompson (42:16), and two other swimmers, while Yasuko recorded 43:21 to win over Carol Lynn Pierce (49:20) and Jennifer Kogure (1:09:03. Kindel and Sikkel registered 26:28 and 25:28, respectively, to top their respective age groups with the former finishing ahead of Mamiko Berger (35:26), Carr Andrea (43:40), and Yulia Aleksenko (54:59). Sikkel downed Atsushi (31:26), Joshua Berger (32:21), and Robbins (34:14).

Tsunami Saipan’s Aika Watanabe finished the 3.9K race in less than an hour (56:27) to place ahead of SSC’s Jin Ju Thompson (58:55), Palau’s Ikelau Misech (1:05:06), SSC’s Jasmin Frink (1:16:37), and Manukai Athletic Club’s Ella Fedenko (1:16:39). Palau’s Noel timed in at 50:40 in the same event to beat Manhoben’s Mark Imazu (52:26), Palau’s Malcolm Gaymann (52:40), SSC’s Taiga Sato (52:46) and Lennosuke Suzuki (56:18), Tsunami Saipan’s Nelson Batallones (54:54), and Manhoben’s Christian Harver (1:16:23).

In the 11 to 12 2.6K races, Palau had a 1-2 finish in the girls with Klei Adreas timing in at 42:44 and her teammate Lolmei Uong posting 50:06. SSC’s Jinie Thompson shared the second spot with Uong, while Manhoben’s Abigail Harver (1:08:14) came in at fourth. In the boys division, Jinnosuke Suzuki registered 35:03 to top Tsunami Saipan’s Juhn Tenorio (36:33) and Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero (36:55) and six other swimmers.

Siblings Aasish (11:55) and Ashley (15:10) defeated five and seven other swimmers in the 600m and 1K races, respectively. Maria Batallones (12:09), another Tsunami Saipan swimmer, edged five participants in the girls 600m, while Aleksenko (15:07) completed the club’s sweep in the two shortest distance races last Sunday.